From Glitter to Stardust
by wakingonprospit
Summary: Cronus and his brother, Eridan, have recently moved out of their parents house. When Eridan and Karkat have a history project together, Cronus meets Kankri. The two quickly find themselves becoming closer and, despite their somewhat troubling pasts and all of the hardships that they face along the way, slowly fall in love.
1. Chapter 1

**Cronus. Move in. =**

You grab the last cardboard box from the back of your truck, tucking it under your arm as you make your way up the sidewalk leading toward the small apartment complex. You and your brother had only got into town last night, leaving your own home hours away.

You take the elevator up and unlock the second door on the left, walking into the apartment empty of everything save some furniture and piles of boxes in the center of the room. You walk over and set the last box on top of the others, sighing quietly.

After dropping Eridan off at school this morning, you decided that you really shouldn't put off unpacking anymore. So the past five hours have been spent visiting nearby furniture and appliance stores trying to get the apartment in working order. It took another few hours to rearrange all of the furniture, it didn't help that the hallways were narrow and that you had to assemble both yours and Eridan's beds.

By the time Eridan came into the apartment, unlocking the door with his key, you were almost done unpacking the living room and had started on moving all of your clothes into the closet.

Eridan walks in, kicking his shoes off and looking around. "Cro?"

Eridan is a twelve years old, skinny sixth grader. He has fluffy blond hair, and light freckles that dust over his pale nose and cheeks, while you are a bit tanner, with jet black hair, slicked back. Well, slicked back the best you can anyway. Normally your hair has a curl to it that makes it a pain to deal with. You're tall, and more built than a lot of people you know. This is probably from swimming so much. You won't admit it to a lot of people, but you absolutely love to swim. Oh, and both you and Eridan have deep ocean blue eyes.

"Ey. In here, Dan." You call from your room. You hear him toss his bag to the floor, then the footsteps getting closer as he makes his way to your room. He walks into the room and pushes his thick rimmed glasses up his nose some as he sits on your newly assembled bed. Honestly you don't know quite what to say to him. You never did tell him exactly what happened that made you leave your parent's house late last night, and then drive 4 hours to spend the night at your aunt's house, and he hasn't asked. The two of you have talked about leaving before; you just weren't sure when it would happen. Last night decided for you.

You continue to take things out of your boxes, rearranging them in your new desk drawers. Eridan sits in silence for a moment, bouncing slightly on your bed. After a few minutes of watching you silently busy yourself around the room he speaks up. "The main room looks good."

You close the drawer and stand up, stretching slightly, "Yeah?" Eridan nods, "Yeah." You look around room for a moment, and then run a hand through your jet black hair. "Looks a lot smaller when it's not completely empty, yeah?" You chuckle breathlessly, tired from moving things around all day and not sleeping last night. Eridan laughs quietly and nods in agreement, "Yeah… but it looked small before." "Comparatively yeah." You shake your head a bit, laughing quietly.

"Come on Dan. You want pizza?" You say as you turn and head back toward the main room, only to be followed quickly by your little brother. "Yeah!" He smiles, "Are you ordering now?" With a short nod you pull out his cell phone, sitting down on your new couch, patting the space beside you for Eridan to sit.

You orders two small pizzas, one vegetarian and one meat lovers, not having to ask Eridan what he wanted. Eridan's been going back and forth with this vegetarian thing. You're pretty sure he's only doing it because your cousin, Feferi, talked him into it.

After the pizza had been ordered you lean back against the couch and sit in silence for a moment. Until Eridan breaks the silence that is, sitting up a bit straighter, "Cro?" "Yeah?" "You never told me what happened."

You turn your head to look at your brother, who is now pointing to the side of your forehead. The two of you catch eyes for a moment, staring at each other, blue eyes locked on each other in silence.

Then you shrug and look away, "Don' worry about it Dan." You look back to smile down reassuringly at him, ruffling his hair gently. "It's not a big deal." That's not completely true. Your dad has called you at least three times today trying to convince you to come back, but you don't plan on doing that until things get better.

This response doesn't seem to pacify Eridan, as he pulls up onto his knees, reaching out to touch the two fresh, stitched up, and jagged scars on the side of your forehead gently. "Does it hurt?" You hiss quietly at the pain, and swat Eridan's hand away. "Yeah it hurts like a bitch." You frown and cross your arms. "Oh." Eridan crosses his arms as well and slumps down as he looks away slowly from you slowly, "Im sorry..."

You absolutely cannot stand to see him sad. If it were anyone else you wouldn't care, but your little brother is and always will be, hands down, the most important person to you. "It's fine Eridan..." Then you reach over and mess with his hair a bit. "Hey Dan. You still wantin ta dye your hair?" Eridan immediately perks up, "Yes! Not all of it though. Just this part," He grins and gestures to the bangs of his hair then frowns slightly, "but dad wont let me..." You nod a bit in understanding; Eridan had asked your dad over and over if he could get his hair dyed purple for about a year now. Each time he did though your dad would tell him no and give some lame excuse about how it's not "respectable for a young man to- blah blah blah." The way you see it, if Dan's that set on dying his hair, then let him.

You grin at him, "Well why don' you go finish unpacking your room... An' after pizza gets here I'll go out and buy some dye." Eridan sits up straighter, "W-wait really?" he grins excitedly.

You can't help but laugh quietly as you stand up, nodding some and walking toward the door. Eridan also stands up and walks toward his room excitedly only to turn around and come back, "Oh yeah Cro, I was put in a group project for history. Can I go over to my partner's house after school tomorrow?"

You pause from where you were by the door, putting on your heavy leather jacket, "huh? A group project already?" you're slightly surprised that his teacher would throw him into a project so soon; but you aren't too worried. "Yeah that's fine I guess... Just let me know where and when I need to pick ya up."

Eridan nods a bit, smiling and says "I'll ask Kar then let you know." _Car? Who the fuck names their kid car?_ You sit by the door and start pulling your combat boots back on, only to have Eridan asks, "Where are you going?"

You stand back up and pause for a moment to check your pockets. "Jus' outside for a sec'" after finding what you were looking for you smile at Eridan. "I'll be right back Dan."

The blond haired boy nods slightly in understanding then turns to his room, walking in to unpack just as you walk out of your shared apartment. You make a right down the hall, walking back the way you came, then click the button on the elevator. As you wait in the elevator on its way to the ground floor you reach up and gently feel the mark made only recently on the right side of your forehead.

You really need a smoke.


	2. Chapter 2

**Kankri. Go home.**

It's been a little over an hour since you entered your math class. School should be ending any moment now and quite frankly you're tired of listening to the assholes around you. You've spent the whole class period trying to take notes while the rest of the class continues to talk over what the teacher is saying. Apparently your teacher does not take into consideration that some people in this room are actually trying to pass his class.

After about another ten minutes of listening to the other students talk around you, quite loudly might you add, the bell signaling the end of the day finally rings. This of course causes everyone in your class to get up and rush out of the room. One of them, a boy that sits in the back of the room, even thinks that it is appropriate to knock your binder off of your desk, sending papers off in different directions. _It was not appropriate._

You hold completely still as everyone else leaves the classroom, breathing evenly and looking straight ahead. Then after the last person has left, you slowly move from your seat to kneel on the ground and gather up your papers. After stacking them neatly and then placing them into your binder again, deciding you will organize it later, you return all of your belongings back into your satchel and quickly leave the room.

As you make your way down the hall you keep your head down, trying to avoid the crowd as much as possible while making your way to your locker.

Once you get there, you stand as close to the wall as you can, fumbling with the lock, easily putting in your combination. You open your locker only to have it closed again with a loud slam. You pull your hands away from the door just in time to not get your finger crushed. You grimace at the noise as your head snaps over to face the person who had shut your locker. Meenah Peixes. "Hey insufferable."

By no means do you like Meenah. She picks on you and treats you horribly a lot of the time. She calls you names and talks down to you. But, she is not as bad as a lot of people that pick on you. Meenah, at least, knows when enough is enough. Porrim has told you many times that Meenah treats everyone like this; that she doesn't mean anything by it, it's just how she acts.

You let out a quiet sigh and start to open your locker back up, "Meenah. I have told you several times I absolutely detest you using that name to-" she shuts the locker again.

This time you turn to face her fully to see she is leaning against the wall by your locker. She puts a tan and perfectly manicured hand on her hip, smirking. "You seen Serket anywhere?"

You think back for a moment, looking upwards. You can't recall having seen her since lunch time when she dropped by your table to talk to Porrim. Your gaze falls back to Meenah's dark brown eyes, but you can hear her tapping her foot in annoyance as she crosses her arms, "Weeeelll?"

"I have not seen her since lunch." You pause for a moment before asking, "Why would I know where sh-" she cuts you of again, you know she doesn't like to listen to you talk, not many people do, "Her and Maryam skipped class last period. "You frown at this. Porrim has skipped class before and each time you have lectu- explained to her why she should not be skipping classes in favor of doing who knows what.

Just as you open your mouth to speak you see Porrim and Aranea making their way down the hall, toward the two of you. You would ask Porrim where she had been but you know she will not give you an answer, instead she would tell you it was none of your business. So after pointing in the direction of the two girls you turn back to your locker, opening it again to get your extra textbooks out.

Meenah turns her attention to the shorter of the two girls walking up. "Yo Serket." She looks back at you for a moment, then reaches out, ruffling your messy red hair, "See you Vantas." She grins and walks over to Aranea. She doesn't call you "Insufferable" when Porrim is around. No one really is mean to you when you are with her. You've decided long ago that it's because one; she knows everything about everyone and isn't afraid to spread rumors, true or not. And two; Porrim is absolutely the most beautiful girl in the whole world. She's tall and slender with tan skin, long, dark black hair, and dark green eyes. She has tattoos down her arms and legs, and piercings in her lips and eyebrows, though she still seems to make it look elegant.

Porrim has been your best friend since early middle school. She's one of the only people who is constantly nice to you. Honestly she's more like a sister to you than a friend. The two of you argue sometimes but she's always there for you, and vice versa.

She says a quick goodbye to Aranea and kisses her cheek quickly then starts to walk toward you as the other two girls walk in the opposite direction. Porrim smiles and flips a bit of her hair out of her face as she walks closer. "Hello Kanny." You smile then roll your eyes at the nickname, "Hello Porrim." "Are you ready to go?" She reaches out and tries to smooth the hair that Meenah messed up back down, then hooks her arm with yours and after a small nod from you; the two of you make your way down the hall.

You walk with her to the school's parking lot, engaging in casual conversation as you make your way outside. She tells you how her day went and you tell her how yours was, even though it was no different from any other day.

It's cold outside, and by the time you reach your car, your hands are cold. You both say goodbye and after a quick, "Please drive safe." from you, she walks away, leaving you to get in your car and be on your way to pick up your little brother from the middle school.

You drive slowly the whole way there. Though you've had your license for a couple of years now, you have never really gotten use to driving. Karkat sometimes fusses about the way you drive, occasionally telling you that you "drive like a grandma." Though for the most part, he is rather understanding, only getting annoyed when you refuse to turn the music up.

Once you get to the middle school, you pull up to the pickup area where you see Karkat standing by the door to the front of the school. He's almost always one of the last people picked up.

When you pull up to the curb he's already waiting beside it. He opens the door and slides into the passenger side, tossing his book bag over his shoulder into the back seat. You glance over at him before you start driving again, "How was school?" He gives you a short shrug. "It was fine I guess." You nod slightly in acknowledgement as he proceeds to tell you about his day.

Karkat looks a lot like you. You both have the same brown eyes, with tiny red flecks in them. You both have the same button nose, and ears and facial shape, though his face was a bit chubbier, only because he was young and still had a bit of baby fat left. You are both are pretty short, and relatively skinny. The only major difference between the two of you is your hair. While you both have messy hair, his is dark brown, almost black, and yours is red.

The two of you slowly fall back into silence for a while. After a few minutes you speak up again, "Do you have any homework for this tonight?" He blinks a bit, seeming to think about it for a moment. "Oh! I have a group history project that I have to work on. Can my partner come over tomorrow?" You think it over for a moment, then decide that the two of you really didn't have anything planned. "Yes, of course they can. Who is it? Will one of their parents pick them up?"

Your younger brother sighs quietly at the questions, "He's this new kid named Eridan that I got stuck with." You furrow your eyebrows a bit, not taking your eyes off the road, "What do you mean you got stuck with him?" He slouches down and crosses his arms, grumbling, "Kanaya wanted to work with Vriska this time, and Gamzee wasn't there today, and no one wanted to be partners with his kid because he's really weird and wouldn't shut the f-… shut up about Harry Potter."

Your mouth opens slightly then closes again at the younger boys near slip up. Karkat has lately made a bad habit of swearing. You've had to lecture him several times within the past few months on his behavior, even having to request your father to talk to him once. While he has been cursing less frequently since then, he still occasionally seems to forget to watch what he says. You did however look up different articles about children swearing and have decided that he is just going through a phase.

You shake your head a bit. "Karkat that is very rude of you to sa-" "but he's not here!" You frown and explain, "That does not make it any less acceptable." He slumps down a bit more in his seat, looking out the window. "Oh and he said his big brother could come get him." You nod again, "Find out what time he would be picked up and let me know." "Okay."

And with that, the two of you fall back into relative silence for the rest of the ride home.

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_Hey guys. Thanks for reading! Please review and let me know wht you think of this so far. I've decided that I'll be updateing on Fridays for now, though this might change later on and depending on how fast i write I might start posting two chapters a week. But anyway, thank you guys for reading. 3_


	3. Chapter 3

**Cronus. Meet Kankri.**

After checking the house address for probably the fourth or fifth time since you had entered this neighborhood, you decide that the house you are parked in front of is in fact the right house.

For some reason you thought that you had to ask Eridan twice if he was absolutely sure that he had texted you the right address.

Who are you kidding? Of course you had to double, maybe triple, check. What if you knocked on the wrong door? What if a grumpy old man answered the door? Or a little kid? Or a lonely cat lady? What if the lonely cat lady excepts you to stay for tea? How are you suppose to tell her that you aren't interested in having tea with her?

Anyway, you eventually get out of your truck, and walk up the side walk toward the house, boots clicking against the walkway. You fix your hair a bit, smoothing it back one more time before knocking on the door.

You wait a few moments, glancing around the front of their house before the door opens. Once it does, you direct your attention to the person in front of you.

The first thing you notice is how short he is. His forehead only just reaches to your collarbone, causing him to have to tilt his head back a bit to look up at you. He's wearing a vibrant red sweater and black pants. His eyes are a burnt brown color, and his hair is bright red and messy.

After blinking up at you for a moment, he then pushes up a polite, but obviously practiced smile, "Oh, hello. You must be Eridan's older brother." He takes a small step back, probably so he doesn't have to strain to look up at you.

You look him over once more before your eyes dart to meet his, "Yeah," You shiver slightly as a light breeze picks up, causing you to tuck your hands into the warm pockets of your leather jacket.

He must have noticed you shiver because he steps to the side and says politely, "Would you like to come in to wait for him?"

You really wouldn't mind waiting in your truck for a while, but you hadn't bothered to ask Eridan if he was almost done yet or not, and you definitely don't mind sitting with this guy while you wait.

He's pretty cute you guess, but you'd decided a few weeks ago that once you had moved away from your old home that you wouldn't go hitting on everyone that you meet anymore. But then again...

You say, "Yeah sure thing chief, thanks." As you put on your biggest grin and step inside, glancing around a bit.

His house is a decent size, much bigger then your crowded apartment at least. It's really clean, almost frightening so. In their main room, there is a long couch and a recliner positioned around a coffee table, facing a television that is pushed against the wall. There are a couple of tall bookshelves pushed over by one wall, organized immaculately. Then a shorter bookshelf over by the television, containing a large collection of movies. There's an unlit fireplace in the far side of the room with a few candles and framed pictures of what you assume is their family.

You can see the kitchen through a doorway to the right and a hall that leads off to the left. The house is mostly quiet, though you can hear Eridan and another younger boy's voice from somewhere in the house.

You turn to face him, standing just a bit away from him. You notice again just how short he is, and can't help but smile at the fact. You wonder how old he is, and once you think of that, you realize that you don't even know his name.

You grin down at him for a moment as he furrows his eyebrows in slight confusion, staring back up at you... And it's absolutely adorable. You continue to grin as you speak, "Sorry chief I don't think I caught your name."

"O-oh how rude of me," he stammers slightly as he speaks, "My name is Kankri Vantas." He holds out his hand for you to shake, "I do not believe you have introduced yourself either. What is your name if you do not mind me asking?"

Wow this guy talks a lot. "Cronus Ampora." You respond shortly, continuing to beam at him as you reach out your own hand.

As you shake his hand, you try, for the briefest of moments, not to notice how small his hand is, how incredibly soft his skin is against your fingers, or how his hand fits into yours perfectly. Yet somehow you manage to focus on all of these things at once. You really need to push these thoughts from your head.

**Kankri. Deal with Cronus.**

As you shake his hand, you try, for the briefest of moments, not to notice how large his hand is, how incredibly warm his skin is against your own, or how his hand envelops your own hand perfectly. Yet somehow you manage to focus on all of these things at once. You really need to push these thoughts from your head.

And that's exactly what you try to do as you let go of his hand quickly, probably a bit too soon to be considered polite, and turn to walk a bit more into the room, "Can I get you anything? Perhaps water or some other form of beverage?"

You turn to face him again, hoping that he will say yes. At the moment, you just wanted anything to keep you busy instead of just standing around and staring at each other as your brothers finish up the last part of their project.

"Nah, I'm fine Kan." He's still grinning at you. You don't mind that much that he's smiling like that, you hadn't even noticed until just a moment ago. Until then you had been completely focused on his eyes. You noticed as soon as you had opened the door that they look a bit strange against his appearance.

He's tall and built, with dark hair and slightly tanned skin. Well, tan compared to your own pale freckled skin. He's wearing a heavy leather jacket and black jeans with black work boots. But his eyes are probably the brightest eyes you've ever seen. They are a bright, striking blue, with faded streaks of smokey gray. They stand out considerably against his darker appearance.

"Well," you begin, "Make yourself comfortable, I suppose. Karkat said not long ago that he and your brother were almost done." You sit back down on the far side of the couch, debating on whether or not to pick the book you had been reading before he arrived back up but then decide it would be rude and you probably should be polite in holding a conversation with him.

You had expected him to sit in the recliner, or maybe even the other end of the couch, but instead, he sits not two feet away from you, right in the center of the couch.

"So Kan," ugh. You can't stand nicknames. It would be different if you knew this person, but you just met him so you can not think of a single reason why he would even consider shortening your name. The only person you allow to call you by a nickname is Porrim.

Never the less, you turn slightly to look at him as he speaks, "You go ta school at Skaia?"

You furrow your eyebrows slightly, perplexed that he would ask that. You hadn't really considered how old he was. Instead you assumed that he was probably a college student. "Oh, well yes actually. I am in my senior year there." You responded, "Do you? Well I mean I do realize that you and your brother have just moved here, but are you being enrolled in a school program nearby?"

He smiles at you, and you really hope it's not because you are talking to much, "Uh yeah I'm goin' to be a senior there startin' Monday"

You smile slightly, "Have you been to the school before to get accustomed to the area?"

He shakes his head and responds, "Nah, I'll be completely new to it on Monday. Probably gettin' lost in the halls like some idiot."

He laughs slightly and he's grinning and you hadn't noticed until now how bright and genuine his smile is. You can't help but smile, actually smile, right along with him as you speak, "You could always ask for a member of student council to escort you for the first day or so."

At this he wrinkles up his nose and then laughs again, "Nah, I'd rather not have to follow some random nerd around school on my first day."

You blink at him, biting the inside of you cheek momentarily, then open your mouth, only to close it again. Your shoulders slump a bit, feeling slightly offended at his comment and unsure of how to respond. Finally, you narrow your eyes a bit as you speak up, "_I_ am a member of the student council."

**Cronus. Be an asshole.**

Oops. Well you fucked up. He's frowning at you and he looks like he's a mix between angry and upset. You rack your brain for a moment, trying to think of anything that you could say to make up for it. Why did you have to open your big mouth?

"Well uh, I didn't mean... It's not like I meant that-"

He doesn't even give you the chance, "Oh, then do tell. What did you mean, Cronus?" His arms are crossed over his chest, and his eyes are narrowed.

You let out a quiet sigh, "Oh come on Kan, don't-"

He cuts you off again, uncrossing his arms to talk with his hands, "Don't call me that. My name is Kankri. Not Kan, or any other appellation of my name. I do not appreciate being called by other nicknames."

You take that as an opportunity to change the subject, speaking up quickly, "Ya don't like bein' called any other name?"

"No, I do not. That is what I just told you."

"So..." You start, "No Kan, Kanny, Kankers, Kanky, kankrab," His face is turning red, probably from anger, "Kankan, Kankrikri, Kanners, or..." He opens his mouth to interject, "Angelface?"

You smirk slightly as he sputters for something to say. His face turns a brighter shade in what you think is embarrassment, "That- that last one held no similarities to the ones prior to it!"

A wide grin spreads across your face, "Well sure it does. Ya see, you've got the face of an angel so I just thought it was fitting, ya know?"

"Excuse me!?"

"You seem confused." He really is cute, but it's not like it'll matter in the long run. He's probably not gay, even though the way he's blushing right now could mean- no. You aren't setting yourself up for this. This is just you messing with someone because it's fun... Right?

"Well, I uh-" Does he finally not now what to say? He's fumbling with his hand and looking around quickly as if someone is going to call out a line for him. "I just... am not accustomed to such forward compliments." He's looking away and his face is still a bright cherry red.

You feel a legitimate grin spread across your face as you lean a bit closer to get a better look at him as you talk, "What? You really aren't? You're fuckin' adorable."

He moves a bit further away, leaning back against the arm rest then laughs nervously, "I- I am not and I don't appreciate being called-"

"Called what? Angel face?"

His face gets turns an even brighter shade of red and he quickly stands up, not looking angry anymore, just embarrassed. "I... You... Why would you say something like that about someone that you have just recently met?"

You're a bit afraid that you may have taken it too far in continuing to compliment him. Though you are a bit relieved that he asked why say those things about someone you just met, rather than why say those things about another guy. So instead of worrying about it you simply shrug, then grin up at him. "Why not?" You stand up in front of him, crossing your arms and grinning.

You both stare at each other for a moment, you grinning, and him staring up at you, probably searching his mind for an answer, seeming as though he cannot come up with one.

But a moment later, none of that matters. You hear a thud from somewhere above you, figuring that it came from the second story, where maybe Kankri's brother and Eridan are working.

A look of confusion come over Knakri's no longer red face. Then after a moment you hear a younger male's voice yell from somewhere above you, "You piece of shit! I am going to kill you!" And before you can ask, Kankri is taking off down the hall, then takes a left, thudding up a set of stairs that aren't in your line of sight.

So for not even a moment you are left in the middle of his living room, standing there awkwardly. Then you hear Eridan yell and are quickly following the way Kankri left.

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_Thanks so much for reading! .. Again! ^_^ Sorry I didn't get a chance to post this morning. Let me know what you guys think please? Reviews= Love!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Kankri. Stop your brother from committing homicide.**

You feel bad for running off on Cronus like you did, but as soon as you heard Karkat yell you couldn't just ignore it. It's probably just him being cranky and stubborn but you'd rather not chance it. So after you heard the yelling above your head you took off, quickly making your way to the staircase.

Honestly you're a bit glad to have an excuse to leave your awkward conversation with the man downstairs. You haven't ever had a random stranger say those sorts of things about you. While under normal circumstances it might not be that big of a deal, you realize that you know next to nothing about Cronus.

Your first impression of him could at any moment prove to be wrong. But at the moment you believe him to be a bit out-going, talkative, much too friendly, and slightly intimidating. With an absolutely dazzling smile and beautiful, bright blue, captivating eyes... You didn't just think that… You did _not_ just think that.

You can't seem to figure out what to make of him. One moment he is practically making fun of you, and the next he is hitting on you. Well, probably not really hitting on you. He was most likely doing it to make fun of you. It would not be the first time someone would say those things to you in order to purposely make you uncomfortable. You doubt that he is even interested in men at all really. Not that you care.

Though you are not one to usually make assumptions about other people based solely on a first impression, he certainly doesn't seem like the type of person to be interested in other men.

When you make it upstairs you are absolutely horrified to find your brother on top of Eridan, shoving a pillow into his face. Well. You don't know what happened, but your twelve year old brother is trying to smother another twelve year old...

"I told you not to!" Karkat is yelling and you watch in shock for a moment before making your way across the room quickly.

"Karkat Vantas!" You can't help but shriek, "You let go of that boy this instant!" You march over to them quickly and try to pull Karkat off, grabbing at his arms and tugging at the pillow to no avail. He's thrashing and trying to wrench away from you, profanities practically streaming from his mouth.

From somewhere behind you, toward the stairway that you had just come up, you hear Cronus shout something. He is immediately next to you, wrapping an arm around Karkat's waist, and easily lifting him right off of the blond boy. The string of curses escaping from your younger brother's mouth become louder as he flails for something to hang onto.

Eridan is scrambling to sit up, and you aren't sure of what to do at the moment. You do know however that you will be setting up a Skype call with your father as soon as these people leave, to inform him about your brother's clearly unacceptable behavior.

You look over to Cronus, who struggles with Karkat, who is kicking at Cronus's stomach and legs, for a few more moments, fussing at him to hold still. Eventually the younger boy goes limp and huffs quietly in defeat. "Put me down asshole." He grumbles.

"Language!" You practically hiss as Cronus lowers him to the ground, setting him down carefully. "Karkat Vantas, what on earth were you doing?!" You really need to calm down.

Usually you don't like to raise your voice, especially not at Karkat. One, it strains your voice and you do not like to sound so harsh. And two, yelling has never worked with Karkat. He just yells right back, "It was his fault! He started it!" He is clenching and unclenching his hands and his face is red with frustration though at this point you would not be surprised if yours was too.

You see Cronus walk past you quickly from the corner of your eye, you assume, to help his brother up but you can't bring your eyes away from Karkat's. The two of you are practically glaring at each other, and he is seething in anger, baring his teeth hostilely.

"How is it his fault?!" You internally cringe at how furious you sound. He must be picking up on your anger quickly because he immediately freezes and his face drops into a mixture of humiliation and guilt.

"I... He-... Uh" he's stuttering for words and shrinking back some, crossing his arms and slumping his shoulders. He looks as though he is trying to shrink down inside of his black turtleneck sweater.

"Well?" You cross your own arms, standing up straight and glowering down at him from his place a mere five feet away from you.

Cronus kneels down to his brother's level in worry and offers a hand to Eridan. He helps his little brother up and dusts his shoulders off casually after checking he sides of his head for any marks. Upon not finding any he lets out an almost inaudible sigh of relief.

You turn your head just in time to look over at the younger Ampora as he speaks, "He's mad because I put glitter on our poster!"

Really? Is that really what all of this was about? You cannot believe that he would pick a fight with someone over something so silly. He's gotten into fights in some pretty strange situations but this is just a whole new level of foolishness.

"We have to present it to the class!" Karkat retorts sharply. As though a fire is rekindled he drops his arms to his sides quickly, stomping the ground.

"I know-w! I w-was trying to make it look pretty!" Eridan stutters when he talks too fast and this is no exception. You've actually noticed this with both of the Ampora boys. Both of them seem to pronounce their w's and v's strangely. Though Cronus seems to have a better handle on it.

"But I told you no glitter! No one likes glitter! Now everyone is going to think we're gay or something!"

"Karkat!" You try to interject but before you can stop him he's walking over to Eridan, whose brother quickly grabs his arm, likely trying to prevent another fight from breaking out.

"Those two things hawe nothing to do w-with each other!" He reaches down, scrambling to grab a bottle of purple glitter that was not far away on the floor by their "ruined" project. He was most likely under the assumption that Karkat would take it, "Eweryone likes glitter! Cronus let me go!"

"No can do Dan. Calm dowv-down." He grabs onto the back of his brothers shirt just as the blond boy grabs the bottle, clutching it to his chest possessively.

"Nooo! Only gay people like glitter!" Karkat fusses.

"Karkat!" You start to storm over to him, in complete disbelief that he would ever say anything along those lines. He's never been a homophobe before. After all, he knows that you are pansexual and has always been extremely accepting.

Eridan continues to try and squirm from Cronus's grip for a moment before freezing. A mischievous grin spreads across his freckled face as he says carefully, "nu-uh... Cronus doesn't like glitter."

Before you can comprehend what was happening, you hear Eridan yell, "See?!" And in a final attempt to get his brother to let go, Eridan dumps half of a container of purple glitter onto Cronus's head.

* * *

_Well... So that is that. I promise the next chapter will be longer. I'm still trying to get use to writing dialogue. Thank you all so much for the wonderful reviews! They absolutely make my day and I appreciate every one of them!_

_P.S. I had considered naming this story "Only gay people like glitter" ... Just a thought. _

_Please review! It means so much to me! _


	5. Chapter 5

**Cronus. Commit homicide.**

You hear a gasp from across the room. It's probably Kankri considering the direction the sound came from. The pitch also doesn't sound high enough to be coming from one of the two children in the room with you.

It takes your mind a few seconds or so to catch up with what is happening. For a brief moment you go completely still, watching tiny purple dots sparkle down from your arms and hair. Eridan's arm wrenches away from your grasp and you hear tiny thuds patter across the floor as he moves away from you quickly.

As you watch the glitter fall from your shoulders you straighten up and start brushing it off quickly. It's your first reaction but you realize that it's not going to help much. Glitter is, as most people who have worked with it before must know, almost impossible to get off. It takes two seconds to put it onto something, and days to get it off.

You're going to kill him. This will be a pain in the ass to get out, a-

_"Only gay people like glitter." "Nu-uh. Cronus doesn't like glitter. See?" _

You find yourself freezing yet again. Your little brother just outed you to two people who you barely know.

"You little shit!" You bark furiously, chasing after him, your large boots thumping hard against the floor.

He lets out a shriek as he starts laughing and trying his hardest to stay as far away from you as possible. He weaves between Kankri and Karkat, one of who is trying to pull the other closer to him and stop him from laughing at the scene before him.

You scramble to follow Eridan, stumbling a bit as you run past Karkat, who is leaning to pick something up off the ground.

You can hear Kankri trying to take control of the situation, telling you all to "Calm down" and "Cronus, Eridan, please stop running!" "Karkat put that down!"

Every bit of anger in you slowly fades with each step as you realize how comical this situation actually is. You and Karkat both have now practically attacked Eridan, who is absolutely giddy as you chase him around the room. All of this is because of glitter. Fucking glitter! It's not like he has done anything to hurt anyone or mess up anything that is really important, and everyone in this room is treating it as if he has committed some sort of high offense crime.

It isn't more than a few seconds before you grab onto Eridan. He shrieks and continues to giggle. You can't help but chuckle slightly as you grab his arms and lift him straight into the air. You throw him over your shoulder the way someone would a dead deer after a hunting trip.

Then you tip him over so he is upside down and clinging to your arms. His pale blond and bright purple hair is hanging down off of his face, and his normally pale, freckled complexion has turned red from laughing so hard, "Cro! Cro! This isn't funny!" he shouts through his giggles. Needless to say, it's not convincing in the least.

You pull him upright again and slowly lower him to the ground. Before Eridan can step away again you grab his arm and look back over to the pair of Vantas's across the room.

It's not even five seconds before Kankri is going off on a full-scale rant. He's lecturing you and Eridan for running in the house, lecturing Eridan for pouring glitter all over the place, lecturing you and Karkat for your profane language. He then turns to Karkat and starts talking his ear off about being inconsiderate towards his guest or something like that.

You're not even a bit surprised when Kankri doesn't stop there. He just keeps reprimanding Karkat, "Your behavior as of late has become absolutely inexcusable. Not only do you continue to use inappropriate language regardless of the fact that I have told you an innumerable amount of times how it is capable of offending others-" and he just keeps going.

You're really surprised at how much this guy can talk. He doesn't stutter at all, and each of his words are articulated perfectly. He speaks with perfect diction and it seems like every sentence, every word, he says has been practiced in front of a mirror until he believed that he sounded confident enough to use it in casual conversation... That's probably not a thing that happens.

"Dude! Shut the fuck up!" Karkat practically yells. That's when you notice the glitter in his hand. He must have picked it up when Eridan dropped it. _Oh no_. You step forward and reach for the container, hoping to grab it away from him before he can do what you know he is about to do.

"Karkat Vantas that is exactly the sort of language that I was just addres- KARKAT!"

Too late. You barely take two steps before Karkat has tossed the remainder of glitter onto Kankri. "Oh Eridan, you're right! Not all gay people like glitter," Karkat says as he burst into laughter.

Kankri's face is bright red and you should NOT be laughing this hard. Yet here you are, doubling over and laughing your ass off along with your little brother and his friend while Kankri stands there, crossing his arms and looking completely unamused.

It takes a few moments for you to get under control. Once you finally stop laughing you try to hush Eridan and Karkat only to have them laugh more.

"That is enough!" Kankri yells, causing the two children to freeze. "Is your project done?" He's practically glaring at his brother.

"Well," Karkat pauses, "we're almost done." He's shrinking down, knowing very well that he has far crossed the line.

"Finish. Both of you get to work then clean up this mess. Karkat I will be setting up a Skype call with father as soon as Eridan leaves."

"But I-"

"No. I have warned you several times over the past few days. Finish your project." And then he's turning and leaving the room.

You watch him as he goes, looking over his small frame briefly then look over to Eridan and Karkat. After waiting a brief moment you quickly follow him. Again.

You almost stop when you hear Eridan burst into laughter behind you and Karkat promptly yelling at him to shut up but then decide against it in favor of following Kankri down the stairs.

Well. Turns out he is in fact gay... Probably. It could have just been his brother being an ass but you're sort of hoping it wasn't. Not that you actually think you're going to hit it off with this guy. You definitely wouldn't complain if you did though.

* * *

_Thanks for reading this chapter. I'm really sorry that I didn't post it on Friday. I actually rewrote this chapter over this weekend. I was having trouble transitioning from one thing from the next so I apologize if the end of it seems rushed. I tried.  
_

_Big thanks to my sister, Hannah, who is acting as my editor. She's wonderful and all of this is actually based off of a role play that we did._

_Anyway, thank you all for the amazing reviews for the last few chapters. I absolutely love all of them. Constructive criticism is always welcome and greatly appreciated. Your feedback is so incredibly helpful to me so don't forget to send in reviews. **3**  
_


	6. Chapter 6

**Kankri. Go back downstairs.**

You can _not_ believe that just happened. Not only did your little brother dump half of a container of glitter on you. As if that wasn't bad enough, he just practically dragged you out of the metaphorical closet without giving you any say on the matter.

Though you can't really bring yourself to be all that mad over the last part. Especially since Cronus went through the whole ordeal before you did.

You're frowning and trying to brush the glitter from your shoulders as you walk down the stairs, shaking it from your bright red hair as you go. You can hear Cronus coming down the stairs behind you, his large boots thumping against each step as he goes,"Hey angel face wait up."

You're going to kill him. "I have told you I do not like being called that!" You snap at him as you keep walking, making your way into the kitchen to get a glass of water, mainly just making an excuse to avoid him.

"Ouch. Damn chief." It might just be your imagination, but he actually sounds as if you had offended him. It was not your intention to do so, but he did start it by bringing that awful pet name back up.

You sigh as you fill your glass from the water dispenser in the fridge. It's quiet for a moment as you turn to look at him. He's leaning against the counter across from you, arms crossed over the counter top and frowning at you. You can't help but make a mental note that you like his smile a lot better.

You blink over him for a moment before setting your glass down and speaking again, "Can I get you something to drink?" It's a question, but you're already turning to get another glass from the cabinet, again, not wanting to stand and stare at him for the entirety of the time you wait for your brothers.

"Yeah wva- water's fine." He stutters. You hadn't noticed him pronouncing his w's strangely earlier. Your mind goes back to Eridan's speech impediment, and how he stutters on words with w's and v's in them. It was most likely just a coincidental mistake on Cronus's part. Or maybe you imagined it.

You hand him the glass of water as he moves up to sit on the counter stool. You don't see a point in walking around to sit beside him, so instead you lean against the counter across from him and take a sip of your water.

It's not until you're halfway done with your drink that he speaks again, "So you're gay?"

As soon as he says it you're sputtering out water, and covering your mouth in the elbow of your red sweater as you cough. Your eyes sting from coughing as you chance a glance up at Cronus.

You _are_ going to kill him. While you are practically choking on water, he's sitting at the counter with a huge conceited smirk across his face. At this point you're sure that your face has gone red from lack of air. Or from embarrassment. Or both.

Once you finally catch your breath you snap at him, "That is _none_ of your business!"

His hands go up defensively but he still has that awful smirk on his face. "Ey, ey chief I didn't mean nothin' by it. Jus' makin' conversation is all."

The room goes quiet. All you can hear is the buzzing from the refrigerator and some shuffling around upstairs. You're trying really, really hard to keep glaring at him. But how can you stay angry at someone who you barely know, yet grins at you as though he's known you for years? You don't think you can. The sharp anger in the back of your head is quickly dying down to a low buzz of ebbing annoyance.

"It's none of your business." You restate simply, looking away from him.

"I'm bi." He explains as he sets his glass down and folds his forearms across the counter.

Apparently he doesn't know when to back off. You go quiet again and let out an almost inaudible huff of air. You are not inclined to tell him just because he told you first. Though you do feel a bit ridiculous for making such a big deal out of it.

You look away from him and card a hand through your bright, and most likely still glitter filled, hair as you talk, "I am pansexual. Though as I have stated before, it's none of your business."

Cronus's vivid blue eyes soften slowly as his lips twitch up to form an understanding smile.

Your heart does something funny when he smiles at you. Your chest warms up and it moves throughout your entire body like fire through your veins. You're trying really hard to ignore it but the feeling just makes you want to melt to the floor and disappear. The closest you can get to that though is to simply look away. It shouldn't be that hard, you decide, to tear your eyes away from his. Yet you just continue to stare at him for a while longer.

You should have looked away. Should have turned your head or stared at the floor. You can't figure out why it bothers you, but when someone finally looks away, it's him. He turns his head to look around the room and for some reason, this makes you want to scream. But instead you simply look to the side, and then down at the brown hardwood floor of your kitchen.

You need to think of something else to talk about. Probably soon too, for the now lingering silence is starting to bother you. But what do you talk about with someone you don't know anything about?

"So," he starts, "you in any other clubs, or just student council?"

Your head snaps up when he starts talking again. "Oh um," for some reason you seem to be finding it harder and harder to talk around this person, "Yes. I am. I'm also in Book club, Beta club, National Honors Society, the Gay-Straight Alliance, and the debate team."

Even though the debate team seems to have lost all its members. It's very strange but not long after you had joined, most of the members started to drop out. The only people left on the team are you, Porrim, and two other freshman students that haven't got a clue as to what it is they're doing.

"Oh so you're a super nerd?" He smirks.

Here comes the anger again, jut when you thought it was gone,"I am n-!"

He cuts you off quickly， "Kan no, come on it's a joke." He frowns a bit then smiles and shakes his head. "Just a joke alright?"

You stare at him for a moment, then forcefully sweep all angry thoughts into the back of your head as you breathe out slowly. "Alright," you mutter quietly them go quiet for a moment. "Do you plan on joining any of our schools clubs?"

"What? No not even. Not now at least. I mean I don't even know my way around the school, I can't just join a club right off the back." He chuckles.

You go quiet for a moment then speak up, "I can show you around Monday If you would like."

No. Why did you do that? You aren't inclined to do anything for him.

**Cronus. Score.**

You're honestly surprised when Kankri offers to show you around. Not because you don't think he's nice enough. He definitely seems like the kind of person to be polite to people he has just met. But you didn't think he would want anything to do with you. After all, he seems to be getting annoyed with you. He's snapped on you on more than one occasion, granted that they were for making comments that were uncalled for.

Maybe, just maybe, he's warming up to you? It's a nice thought, though hardly likely. "Hell, really? Man thanks Kan." You're grinning at him while you talk, trying to keep eye contact while his eyes flicker everywhere in the room except at you.

You're pretty glad that he stopped fussing at you for calling him "Kan." Besides, it's not like you were doing it to bother him. You shorten everyone's names. You guess he's kind of warming up to it? Maybe you can get him to warm up to "angel-face"? ... You doubt it.

He seems a bit nervous, fidgeting with the sleeves of his red sweater, as he speaks again, "Well... I suppose I had better give you my number." _Wait really? _"So you can contact me later, if need be."

You gape at him in disbelief as he turns and digs through a counter drawer, looking for something to write with.

You guess you had it wrong? Maybe he's not nearly as put off by you as you had thought. Or, much more likely, he's just trying to be nice. Still, the first possibility continues to linger in your head.

It stays there, nestled into the back of your mind as he jots down something down on a sticky note and hands it over to you. You stare down at the pale piece of yellow paper in your hand and grin. The handwriting is extremely neat, as if it were typed on a computer.

You force your eyes away from the paper and smile across the counter at Kankri, finally catching his light brown eyes with your blue ones. "Thanks Kan." you say as you fold the small yellow scrap in half and pocket it.

It's not even a minute later when you hear two sets of foot steps thud their way down the stairs. You see Karkat come into view, only to be followed by Eridan walking behind him. You decide quickly, though you didn't notice before now, that they look very strange next to one another. Karkat being short with dark hair and eyes, dressed in all black, jeans and a sweater, while Eridan is tall and skinny, dressed in a white and purple striped shirt and blue skinny jeans, with pale blond hair along with the newly added purple streak in his bangs.

You digressed.

Eridan is clutching his bag of art supplies in his arms and Karkat holds the poster board, handing it to Kankri for him to check over their work you suppose.

After a few brief nods from Kankri, the older brother hands the poster back to his sibling and begins to ask about the state of the room upstairs. _Did you pick up any scrap paper? Did you vacuum up the glitter? Did you remember to get the corners? Do I have to come check after you?_

"Cro, I'm hungry. Can we go home?" You didn't even hear nor notice your little brother walk up to you. You have to tear your eyes away from where they were figuratively glued to Kankri's face to crane your neck down and look at Eridan.

"Yeah little man, we'll hit the road." You grin and ruffle his hair, earning a quiet groan of detest from him. "Hey Kan? We're goin' to head out."

The red-head stops speaking for a moment to look over at you, "Oh yes that's fine. I will see you Monday, Cronus."

This makes you smile wider. You know the probability of him meaning anything by his words is slim if none, but still, the sliver of a chance makes you feel a bit better.

Kankri sees you and Eridan to the door then walks away, disappearing somewhere into the house. You are a bit disappointed to see him gone even though you know you'll see him at the start of next week.

Karkat, however, stays with the two of you, walking out on the porch for a moment, talking to Eridan about a some problem he's having with some "Soul" kid. You think its nice for Eridan to have someone to talk to. Neither of you had very many friends in your old town. When Eridan had problems it was always you who had helped with them. Even if his new "friend" is a bit short tempered and cranky, you're just glad Eridan is making any friends at all.

Deciding to give them a moment to talk, you take Eridan's art bag from him and make your way down the steps, checking your pocket as you go and making sure the folded sticky note is still there.

You could go for a smoke right now. You haven't had one in a few hours and its starting to hit you, making your head hurt a bit. You would go ahead and have a quick one, but you're working on getting out of smoking in your car. You use to do it a lot last year. That is until Eridan told you that the smell made him gag. You got a new car for your eighteenth birthday a few months ago, and you haven't smoked a single cig in it. Same goes for your new apartment. For now on, you're only smoking outside, so you'll wait until you get back to the apartment building.

You look back up to the porch to see Eridan and Karkat still talking on about people in their classes.

That's when you notice the curtains in the window to the right of the door rustle. You direct your attention to that window only to see Kankri peek his face out. He looks right at you so deliberately that it couldn't have been an accident. Then, when he sees that you are looking back at him, ducks his face back behind the curtain.

You find this a bit strange, if he was just seeing you off he could have waited by the door. It's even stranger, you think, when he parts the curtains again to look out at you a second time. His face is bright red now from what you assume is a mixture of embarrassment and shyness.

You tilt your head to the side a bit and raise a questioning eyebrow to him. He looks behind him as if you could be looking at someone else, which is pretty adorable you think. Then he turns back to face you and stares for a moment, clearly unsure of what to do. His face is still red as he lifts up a hand to offer you a small wave through the glass.

You chance a quick glance to Eridan and Karkat, who are still caught up in their conversation, then look back over to Kankri. You smirk slightly and wave. _You shouldn't do this._ You then blow an over-exaggerated kiss to him, mouthing clearly, "Angel-face."

You didn't think his face could get anymore red than it was, yet here it goes. He seems to sputter for a moment before pausing and mouthing back as he crosses his arms. He obviously mouthed, "That is not my name."

Now you have several routes that you can take from here. You could be mature and apologize or, "I can't read lips." You grin happily.

He obviously doesn't believe you because he rolls his eyes dramatically. "I'll text you?" You mouth.

He blinks a bit in response then glances down unsurely. For a second you think that he's going to shake his head no, or start talking about how you should only text him to discuss school matters, whether you could hear him or not. It takes him a moment to look up and respond. When he does, he just smiles and nods once.

Its a short reply, short and simple, but it makes your head stop hurting as a grin spreads across your face. You really like his smile. He doesn't seem to do it often enough. Though as soon as you think this, he's disappearing back into the house again.

For a moment you wonder what it was that you did wrong. "Hey Cro, you ready?"

_Oh._ It was because Karkat went back inside. You tilt your head down to look at Eridan. "Yeah man just hop in." You say as you open the passenger seat for him. You offer him a hand to assist him into the car which he takes and uses to help lift himself up into his seat. You really need a smaller car instead of his monster of a truck that Eridan can barely climb into on his own.

Once he's seated and buckled up, you go to close the door, only to have Eridan say, "Thank you Cronus!" And blow the same over exaggerated kiss at you that you had blown to Kankri.

Well, you slammed that door relatively harder than you would have liked to. The little shit is cackling in your front seat. "Tch." You roll your eyes and walk around to your side of the car, getting in and buckling up. "You saw that, huh?"

He's already pulling out his 3DS from the glove compartment and grinning as he turns it on, "Yeah, me and Karkat did."_ Oh great. The other brat saw it too. _"We think you'd be cute together."

_Oh? _"Yeah well don't get your hopes up kid."

He shrugs a bit and smiles. "It's just a thought." and then he's absorbed into Pokémon X, staring blankly at the screen and leaving you to your thoughts.

You know that you do feel slight attraction to Kankri. You think he's cute. You like his eyes, his bright hair and pale face, you really like his smile. So far your favorite thing about him is his voice though. Its cool and articulated, speaking with perfect diction no matter what he says.

You don't really know all that much about him though. Just from what he told you he sounds pretty smart, his house is tidy so that probably says something. However other than that you know next to nothing about him. You think you'd like to though.

You put your truck in reverse and start to pull out the driveway as you see the curtains in the right window move again. A smile spreads across your face as Kankri appears in the window again to watch your truck as you drive off.

You want to try and make this work.

* * *

_Hey you guys. Thanks for reading again. ^_^ please follow and tell your friends and uncles and cousins and neighbors and drug dealers and car salesman and the hobo that lives down the street, also if you want to write a review it will be greatly appreciated._

_Thank you all for the amazing reviews that i got last chapter. :3_


	7. Chapter 7

**Be Karkat.**

It's been two days since Eridan and his douchebag of an older brother came over.

After they left, Kankri seemed to be in a relatively good mood, seeing as that he never really did tell your dad about the mess that you made, or your excessive cursing habits as of late. You wonder if it has anything to do with Cronus.

You will admit that it is pretty rare for Kankri to get along with anyone. Most of the people he meets are immediately put off by his excessive talking. Seriously. The guy doesn't know how to shut up. He never gives short replies to anything, they always have to be wordy and complicated.

Needless to say when, as the two Amporas were leaving, you had seen Cronus blow a kiss up at Kankri from your drive way, you were a bit baffled. You're even more surprised when Eridan had texted you later that night, telling you that Kankri had given Cronus his number.

Anyway, with this information you did the only responsible thing you could think of. You bugged the shit out of Kankri about it. It goes without saying, that may have not gone over so well. He reprimanded you for jumping to conclusions. Which you obviously did not do... You just asked him how his boyfriend was.

He swears up and down that he does "not have romantic feelings toward Cronus." Knowing your brother, he's most likely telling the truth. But that doesn't mean that he could not start to have those sort of feelings for him. Right?

And he definitely feels something for him, or else he wouldn't be checking his phone as often as he has been for the past two days. You swear that it hasn't been more that ten feet from him since they left.

Even now, as he helps you with your homework, his cell phone remains at the corner of the coffee table. Not only is it strange for him to even keep it on the table, but he continues glances over at it and occasionally picks it up and checks if he's gotten any messages that he has missed.

This has been going on since you sat down. He'll explain something from your science textbook in great detail and while you write answers on your worksheet he will pick the phone back up and check it.

"You'll hear it when it goes off." you finally tell him after the sixth time of him clicking through his phone.

He looks up from the screen and tilts his head to the side slightly, "Excuse me?" He speaks with a hint of confusion in his voice, causing you to roll your eyes.

You shake your head slightly then look back down to your homework. "I mean," you start again, "you aren't going to miss it when Ampora texts you. Your phone will go off and you'll hear it."

"What?!" Your brother responds, "What on Earth makes you think that I am waiting on a message from him?!"

You probably shouldn't, but you chance a look up at him only to see that his face has flushed a light shade of red. "You've been checking your phone every five minutes since he left Kankri."

"That means absolutely nothing!"

"So you don't want him to text you?"

"I...," he lowers his voice and looks down a bit. "I do, maybe..." He sounds unsure. "I have mixed feelings at the moment."

You know Kankri isn't even the slightest bit experienced in this sort of area. His love life is, to put bluntly, nonexistent. He's never had a girlfriend or boyfriend before. He's never been on an actual date either. As far as you know, he hasn't even actually ever had a crush on someone. This is probably the closest he's ever come to anything like that.

"Karkat?" Kankri's voice pulls you back out of your thoughts, "What if he does not text me?" His eyebrows are furrowed, and he's frowning in a somewhat worried manner that either makes you want to hug him or slap him in the face.

"He's going to text you, Kankri." It's true. You've been talking to Eridan almost all weekend. Mainly about stuff at school, but the blonde did mention that Cronus was waiting for the right time to contact your motormouth brother.

"Perhaps he has lost my number."

"I seriously doubt that."

"But the weekend is almost over and he has not contacted me yet."

You blink over at his pale, disheartened face. "You really like him, huh?"

A slight blush works his way across Kankri's face again as he looks to the ground, drumming his fingers on the coffee table inaudibly. "I do not believe I know him well enough to make that sort of judgement as of right now. After all, we only had one meeting in which I did not learn much about him. It could turn out that I don't like him at all."

That answer is pretty much what you were expecting from him. "He could turn out to be an asshole."

"Language, Karkat." He replies shortly, furrowing his eyebrows more in an attempt to look skeptical. You're starting to notice he is getting more and more accustomed to your cursing. The only time you are punished for it now is when you do it in public. You know Kankri doesn't like you cursing around most people. Something about not wanting you to offend anyone.

He sighs quietly and then redirects your attention back toward your science workbook.

At times like this you really miss your dad. Your adoptive father that is, for you don't remember much about your real dad.

It's not that Kankri isn't good at helping you with your homework. He just can't seem to break it into simplified terms for you when explaining it. You've decided a long time ago that it's because Kankri knows everything. Or at least close to it. He can't really just tell you what you need to know and let that be that. He always drags it out into one long and complex lesson.

Your dad, however, always has a way of breaking things down and getting straight to the point when he taught you things. He'd explain what things were, how they worked, and how they were useful and then leave it at that. If you had any questions then he would answer them, but near bored you with useless facts.

Every time he comes home you spend as much time with him as possible. Kankri, on the other hand, while being very appreciative of him, does not spend nearly the amount of time with him as you do.

Sometimes you wonder if Kankri even misses him. Which is silly, you know he does, but you also know that Kankri doesn't think of him as your real dad.

To you, Kevin is the only father you've ever known, it's as if he has been your real dad all along. This isn't the case for Kankri. While Kankri loves Kevin just as much as you do, you know that he will never be as attached as you are.

Kevin has done everything for you two. He always wanted kids of his own, but never got the chance to settle down. Regardless, he loves both of you as if you were his own and does absolutely everything he can to make sure the two of you are comfortable.

"When's dad coming home?" You ask Kankri after you finish the last of your homework.

"Hm? What?" You clearly had pulled him out of thought. Which is strange. It's not often that he zones out like that.

"Dad. When's the next time he comes home?" You ask again.

After seeming to think about it momentarily, he responds, "I have not asked him as of late. The last time I checked I believe he said he'd be home in three months. It is subject to change though."

You nod slightly as you cram your binder back inside of your book bag. Three months is too long. Even though you know it could be much worse.

Kevin is a missionary. He's usually gone for sometime between eight and nine months a year. He comes home every few months and stays for a week or so, then leaves again. After months of this he comes home and stays until he is reassigned to a new job.

"I think I'm going to go get ready for bed, Kankri." You sling your bag over one shoulder then stand up, walking to leave the room.

You probably won't sleep much. For some reason it's been getting harder and harder for you to sleep at night. You can close your eyes and lay there for hours, but no matter how tired you are, you can't bring yourself to go to sleep.

"Do not forget to set your alarm for the morning, Karkat."

"I won't. Night, Kankri." You say over your shoulder to him as you head down the hall.

"Goodnight, Karkat." He calls back.

Then, just as you reach the door to your room and turn in, you can hear Kankri's text alert go off in the living room behind you.

* * *

_I reached thirty followers! Thank you all for your continuous support._

_Please please please review. Each one really gives me an extra push to keep writing ^_^;;_


	8. Chapter 8

**Cronus. Call your dad.**

It's Sunday night and you and Eridan are finally done moving into your new apartment.

At the moment, you are walking up the steps to your apartment building, unlocking the front door, and making your way up the two flights of stairs.

Your arms are loaded with bags of food for the next week or so, for you had just been to the store to buy groceries for you and your brother.

Once you make it to your apartment you set one of the bags down in order to reach into the pocket of your jeans and get the keys back out. A few moments later, the door is unlocked and you are reaching for the doorknob.

A small murmur behind the door causes you to freeze in place. It was unmistakably Eridan's voice. You could tell from the pitch and the way he pronounces his w's and v's. But who was he talking to? You stand out in the hall for a moment, your hand on the doorknob, listening for anyone else's voice. Once you don't hear it you brush all thoughts aside and open the door, picking the last grocery bag up and stepping into the apartment.

Eridan is sitting upside down on the couch, head hanging off of the side and feet propped up against the back of it. His fair hair is just long enough so the end of his purple streak can touch the floor. You notice he's holding a phone to his ear.

He's probably talking to Karkat. As far as you know, those two haven't stopped talking since last Friday. It's nice that he's finally made a friend, even if that friend is a bit, well... Loud.

You kick the door closed behind you and make your way into the open kitchen. As you work to put away food you can hear Eridan's soft voice come from the other room, "Yes that's him... Uh-huh... he just got home."

You stick your head out of the kitchen to look into the main room at Eridan who is now righting himself on the couch. "He went to the store... Do you want to talk to him?" He says excitedly, grinning that innocent smile of his.

That's when you decide that it is obviously not Karkat. He would never offer to let you talk to one of his friends, that would be absolutely ridiculous.

You feel a bit stupid when you realize that it's one of your parents. It's been four days since you have spoken to either of them, though your father has been trying to get in touch with you several times a day since you left. You knew that you would only be able to hit the ignore button so many times before he would find another way to get into contact with you. Going through Eridan, you suppose, is obviously the easiest approach for him to do so. After all, how are you suppose to tell your little brother that you've been ignoring your dad?

Eridan stands up and starts walking toward you, "I'll put him on the phone!" He steps toward you but when he is no more than two feet in front of you, he freezes. "What do you mean no?" His bright smile quickly falls from his face to be replaced by a slight frown.

You raise an eyebrow at Eridan, who looks a bit distressed as he holds the phone up to his ear. Maybe dad's busy? You can't think of a reason why he would suddenly not want to speak to you.

Eridan seems a bit hesitant, holding still and listening to a voice on the other side of the phone line. "Oh... Okay... Yeah, I'll tell him... I love you too. Bye."

Eridan reluctantly hangs up the phone and looks over at you then away quickly, his blue eyes darting toward the ground. He looks as though he has been given bad news, and is afraid to tell you.

"What is it Dan?" You question hesitantly, half afraid to know what it is that is bothering him so much. You expect an immediate response but instead you're only greeted with silence. "Dan?"

"That was Mom." He looks back up at you, "She says you need to call dad."

Your eyes blink a bit in confusion and lean against the door frame, "Couldn't I have just talked to her?"

This is where Eridan shifts slightly from foot to foot, looking back down again, "I dunno. She suddenly said that she had to go."

You sigh quietly and lean back, digging into your pocket to find your phone, "What else did she say?"

Eridan's footsteps get louder as he walks into the kitchen, "We talked for a while... She was just asking how I was, how school was, and when we were coming back."

You scroll through your contacts until you see your dad's number, staring at it blankly for a few moments. "Did she ask about me?" You decide that you'll call him later, not wanting to face his inquisition encircling why you have ignored him.

You lock your phone and set it on the counter, then turn to face Eridan, who is pulling the newly bought groceries out of their bags. "Um... Not really?" He mumbles quietly. "Sorry."

Your shoulders slump slightly in disappointment, "It's not your fault, Dan." You advert your eyes from him to assist him in unpacking the remaining bags.

You don't know what you were expecting from your mother. She has always favored Eridan over you. The only times that she shows you motherly affection is when Eridan is around. Besides that, it's as if you're hardly her son. She often treats you as if you are a stranger in your own household. You understand that it is not unusual for parents to favor one of their children over the others, but lately it is as if she does not care for you at all. She hardly glances at you when you speak to her, she doesn't have the time to carry out casual conversations with you, and she occasionally berates you for minor slip ups.

On the other hand, Eridan is her perfect prince. Everything he does is right in her eyes. She consistently babies him and checks in on him without reason. She practically bends over backwards to find new ways of spoiling him.

Eridan use to be oblivious to the fact that he was getting all of your mother's love. He would spend hours on end going on trips and playing games with her. He use to go on and on about how they went out and did this or, she bought me that. It seems as though he's caught on to the differences in how she treats the two of you. He talks less and less about her, though you know she hasn't stopped spoiling him.

Once you and Eridan finish unpacking the food, he looks up at you momentarily, "Don't forget to call dad."

"I'll get around to it Dan. Don' worry about it."

He shifts a bit on his feet then looks away from you, "I just don't want him to get mad."

"I know. Trust me thats the last thing I want." That's not entirely true, but it seems to pacify your younger brother. You ruffle his hair gently before speaking again, "Go shower and get ready for bed. It's a school night and I'm not going to fight you to get your ass outta' bed tomorrow morning."

After a few protests from him, he finally disappears down the hall to get ready for bed, leaving you alone in the kitchen.

You sigh and pick up your phone, walking into the main room and sitting down on the couch, where you sit for about thirty minutes, trying to decide what you're going to say to your father.

You scroll down your contacts, lost in thought. That's when you realize you never actually messaged Kankri. You had written out about eight different messages, but they were all deleted before you could send them. You just weren't sure what to say, but you need to get in touch with him before it's too late.

Your dad can wait.

You send Kankri a quick message, "Hey angelface." That wasn't enough. You haven't talked to him in a few days, even though you said that you would, so the least you can do is say something more, "It's Cronus. Sorry it's so late, things have been crazy."

There. That's one thing checked off of your list of things to do. You really hope that he isn't too busy to talk. After he doesn't respond for a minute you decide maybe you should just call your dad and get it over with. You scroll down your contacts, but just as you're about to hit the call button, a text alert from Kankri pops up on your screen.

_Your dad can wait._

* * *

Hey. Sorry for not posting last weekend... Again. u.u I've been busy with finals, so don't be surprised if it is a little while before the next update. I hope to get back onto a normal schedule within the next week or so. Thank you all for bearing with me until then. I promise this fan fiction will not just stop updating.

Please continue to send in reviews. I love every single one of them!

Also also my homestuck blog on tumblr is homestuckshippingmotherfucker and i am taking drabble request If you want to submit anything.

thank you all so much for reading and reviewing. Bye!~


	9. Chapter 9

**Kankri. Wake up.**

"Kankri. Wake up!" What? Your eyes shoot open only to squint mostly shut again as the blinding light of your bedroom stings your tired brown eyes. Karkat is sitting on the side of your bed and shaking your shoulder gently, "Kankri? Are you alright? Are you sick?" You blink over at Karkat who is staring at you with worry engraved upon his face. It's not like him to be up before you. In fact, you don't think you've ever had him wake you up before.

You gently shrug his hand off of your arm as you sit up. You squint in the light and blink your eyes, trying to coax them to adjust them while not paying much attention to your brother. At least, not until he says urgently, "Kankri it's 7:35 and we're going to be late."

"Wh-." You begin to groan sleepily before freezing. 7:35... The two of you should have left the house ten minutes ago. Before you know it, you're bolting out of bed, struggling to untangle yourself from your sheets. "Shit." How could this have happened? Did you not wake up with the alarm on your phone? Did you not set it? And why couldn't you remember?

Karkat crosses his frail arms over his gray and black shirt and stares up at you with defiance, glaring and cutting you off, "You said I couldn't say that word."

"Not now Karkat!," you fuss in a panic, "I'll be ready in five minutes, go put your things in the car!"

Before you can say much more Karkat is huffing and storming out of the room, leaving you to rush in an attempt to get ready. You stumble out of your crab print pajama pants and pull off your sleep shirt before making your way to the closet, pulling on a pair of black jeans and grey v-neck shirt only to be covered up by your favorite red sweater.

Next, you hurry to the bathroom, brush your teeth, run a comb through your hair, and try to make yourself look as though you hadn't just woken up.

It is only a few minutes later when you grab your book bag and phone from your room and hurriedly make your way down the hallway.

Wait. Your phone. You nearly face palm at your own idiocy. You had stayed up too late texting and fell asleep before you set your alarm. Yes, it was extremely unlike you, but you couldn't simply stop responding to him. That would be rude and inconsiderate of his feelings. Though you wish you could have at least told him that you were too tired to continue your conversation which wasn't even anything very important. You begin to wonder if Cronus is getting a late start as well due to him staying up to talk to you or if he had planned on staying up anyway.

That's when you remember you are supposed to meet Cronus this morning to show him around school. You realize guiltily that he is probably going to give up on waiting for you and leave to find his class on his own.

When you reach the main room of your house you pause for a moment. Karkat is standing with the keys to your car in one hand and a plate with toast on it in the other. "I made you breakfast. You can eat on the way." But just as you open your mouth to thank him, he's already turned his back and headed outside, "Come on! We're going to be late!" You waste no time in following him quickly.

On your way to school, in which you actually drive at the correct speed limit rather than five miles under, you recount the events of last night. You got the first text just as Karkat had left to go to bed.

Hey angelface, it's Cronus. Sorry it's so late, things have been crazy.

Crazy? You suppose him and his brother trying to adjust to the move could constitute as crazy. As you think that over, it hit you that you almost didn't even think to complain when you read "hey angelface." That is not your name and you should not have to take him calling you that.

Normally you do not enjoy texting. You're rather slow at it and so you'd much rather talk on the phone. Though that would be ridiculous, seeing as how late it was, you certainly did not want to keep Karkat awake with your talking. So you take your phone and made your way down the hall and into your bedroom to sit on your bed. You think over your reply before typing it out slowly and carefully.

It is quite alright Cronus. I understand that you must be struggling with adjusting to the move. You are forgiven. Though I would appreciate it if you ceased referring to me by that awful nickname.

After a moment, you begin to wonder if maybe you were being a bit too wordy in your response. You sit and wait in anticipation for a moment before your text alert goes off again.

Sorry swveetheart. Not going to happen.

You make a face at your screen, trying to think of an appropriate response before the next text comes in.

*sweetheart. Sorry. typo. But anyway what are you up to?

A little less than half of a second is spent on trying to wrap your mind around how someone could accidentally make a typo like that considering the w and v keys are nowhere near each other. You soon brush that aside, mulling over a response to send as you pull your legs up to sit criss-cross on the bed.

I am simply readying myself for bed. Is it safe to presume you are doing the same?

Then you add quickly in a new message.

If you are not then I would like to apologize in advance for making assumptions about you based upon social normalcy.

You crawl into bed as you wait for a response. After a few minutes, you wonder if your new acquaintance is as slow when it comes to typing as you, was trying to conjure a response, or maybe just did not want to talk to you anymore.

After about ten minutes you finally give up. Sighing in what you vaguely recognize as disappointment, you reach toward the nightstand in order to set your phone down on it. And of course, that's when the next text comes in.

Sorry I was showering. So yeah im getting ready for bed. Im actually kind of surprised.

You squint at the screen, the light from the phone stinging your tired eyes as you type out a reply.

Excuse me?

I didn't think someone could be so wordy to say something that simple over text but who knew right?

You were only halfway through typing the next message when his second message comes in.

But anyway. Are we still on for you showing me around tomorrow morning?

It took you a moment for your mind to wrap around what he means. That's when you remember. You had offered to help Cronus get accustomed to the school building by showing him around. Which is ridiculous now that you think about it, since he also said he didn't want a "nerd" walking around with him all day. Still, how could you forget something like that? Perhaps you were so focused on him texting you that you had forgotten the reason behind it at all.

Yes, of course I am capable of doing so Cronus. We can meet at 7:45 in the parking lot if you would like.

Yeah sounds great angelface. I'll see you there then?

Well yes. It would be ridiculous of me to offer to meet you somewhere and not see you there.

And now you are metaphorically kicking yourself in the face. Because you are the idiot who did not leave the conversation at that. Instead you continued to converse with Cronus until ungodly hours of the night when you fell asleep. This is why you hardly ever stay up late, and of course the one night that you don't go to sleep at a decent time is the one night that you fall asleep without setting your alarm.

The traffic in front of the school this morning is horrible and by the time you finally drop Karkat off and get to the high school it's almost 7:55. You're almost certain that there is no way Cronus will forgive you for not showing up on time. He has probably went to go search for his classes on his own already. The thought of that makes your stomach churn slightly in guilt.

You turn into the student parking lot and drive down the rows until you reach your parking space. Then you waste no time in parking your car, grabbing your things and stumbling out of it to make your way toward the school.

You glance around out of habit to avoid any cars that might be coming down the lanes as you walk quickly toward the sidewalk that leads in the direction of the entrance to the school. You have five minutes until the first bell rings, so maybe you can find Cronus to apologize for not showing up like you had promised.

Suddenly your train of thought is cut off. To the left of the entrance is a fairly tall, tanned skin man with jet black hair wearing worn out jeans and a black leather jacket. Your stomach drops slightly, the guilt creeping back up as you make your way toward him.

He stands with his back against the building's brick wall, staring down at the cement ground with his hands buried deep into his jacket pockets. You are slightly taken aback at how out of place he looks. His usually bright and carefree face looks as though he is thinking about something that is troubling him. You can't help but notice how tired he looks. For a moment you think it may be from staying up to text you last night before realizing that the faint dark splotches underneath his eyes could not be acquired from one night of sleep deprivation.

As you near him, his deep blue eyes drift up until they meet your own brown ones. Quickly, the corner of his lips push up into the more familiar expression. He grins over at you and you swear that his eyes just became a little bit brighter, "Hey angelface, what took you so long?"

* * *

_Yup a lot of writing here sorry... Its been a while. Sorry about that. I really feel bad about it but honestly i haven't really been in a writing mood lately. That coupled with the fact that I am slowly being pulled into other fandoms rather than homestuck. But like i said i promise im seeing this fanfic through to the end even if it kills me. The main reason for this is; one, because of you guys. And two, i Already have this whole thing planned out. Yep i know exactly whats going to happen and when its going to happen. I just am having trouble putting my words on paper._

_also! A quick reminder that making me feel like shit doesn't make me want to write more i actually kind of just bums me out._

_Also also! thank you guys so much for sticking with me for this long and thanks to all of the people who have reviewed so far. Please keep them coming i love feedback. And thanks to steampunkgirl198 who has left a review on every chapter so far o.o. Youre Awesome._


	10. Chapter 10

**Cronus. Go to class**

A slight shiver runs down your back in the early winter air, causing you to pull your heavy leather jacket a bit tighter around your shoulders. On the ground beside you is your black mesh book bag.

The sidewalk below you is a dull gray, spread out and stretching from where it meets the drab brick of the school building, all the way down to the parking lot. You stare down at it, counting each scratch and hole in the worn cement to pass the time as you wait.

It's been about fifteen minutes since you pulled up at the school. You wanted to leave the house a bit early to make sure you had enough time to get ready, have a quick smoke, drop Eridan off at the middle school, and still be here in time to meet Kankri.

As it turns out, your assumption that Kankri seemed to be the kind of person to be early to everything wasn't right after all. Unless something unusual came up, like if he got sick, or got in a wreck... or was abducted by aliens. Though that last presumption seems hardly likely, it would be pretty cool.

A few more minutes are spent staring at the ground, zoning out as you watch the various pairs of shoes that walk past you and into the school building. You decide that you'll wait a while longer before heading in and attempting to find your first class on your own.

As you continue to wait, your mind starts to wander. You're thinking over the events of last night. When Eridan had talked to your mom, and her abrupt goodbye once your brother had tried to put you on the phone. You wonder if she's trying to convince Eridan to talk you into taking him back. Of course your little brother was relatively on board with leaving when you had woken him up from his sleep half past midnight to tell him that the two of you needed to leave. But that was almost a week ago. He could be regretting the decision by now. Does that make you a bad older brother for not planning in advance and giving him some sort of heads up? You had thought that it was best for him to get out of that house, but if he wants to go back then you can't really stop him.

You're pulled out of your thoughts as a new set of footsteps make their way up the sidewalk, moving quicker than most others, though they slow down as they get closer.

After a moment, your eyes drift up and towards the person walking towards you, eyes scanning over him quickly. Then you push up a smile at the sight of the person before you.

Kankri wears the same bright red sweater from the last time that you had seen him, with black skinny jeans that stretch down his thin figure to meet a worn pair of black and white converse with red laces. He holds a plain white binder in his arms and has a black messenger bag slung over his shoulder, the strap crossing over his chest. His bright red hair is messed up in such a way that you wonder if he has just woken up. One glance at his eyes is all the confirmation that you need, to realize that he didn't get very much sleep last night.

"Hey angelface," you give him a much practiced smile, "What took you so long?"

He stop walking once he stands right in front of you, tilting his head back to star up at you for a moment before he starts babbling out apologies, "I am very sorry Cronus. I fell asleep late, Forgot to set my alarm and-"

"Hey hey slow down angelface." You can't help but laugh. His face is a bit red with blush, and he looks around, probably to make sure no one had heard you call him that.

"It's Kankri." He huffs out as he crosses his arms, narrowing his eyes.

"Sure it is." You grin a bit wider. "So are you going to show me around still?" You keep your free hand buried in the warmth of your jacket pockets as you look down at him.

He huffs slightly at your initial statement, then reaches into his pants pocket to check the time on his phone. "Cronus, I'm very sorry... I don't think we have time..." He sighs slightly and looks back up at you as he pockets his phone. "I could assist you in finding your locker and your first class.. And I can attempt to explain the building's layout to you, which should make it relatively easy to find your classes."

You say thanks and push open the door, gesturing for him to lead the way. You watch as he walks past you, clutching his binder to his chest and keeping his head up, with brown eyes trained straight ahead.

The main entrance to the school opens up to a large spacey area. Slightly to the right is the front office, enclosed with glass windows. Stretching out in front of you is the main concourse, which Kankri leads you down. Once you are further inside, you can see the cafeteria on your left, and several halls on your right. The cafeteria is filled with other students who sit, talking and laughing with each other at the various tables, likely waiting for the morning bell to ring so that they can go to their respective classes. You are so immersed in taking in the unfamiliar surroundings that you hardly notice when Kankri turns his head a bit to look back at you.

"Cronus? Did you hear me?"

You gaze down at him. Had he been talking? You hadn't even noticed. "Sorry. What?"

He hangs back for a moment to walk beside you. "I asked if you knew your locker number, and the combination to it." He says, looking up at you questioningly.

You had been assigned a locker and combination when you registered to attend school here. The counselor had sent you an email with all the information that you needed for your transition to this school, including your locker information.

Locker 52

Turns out Kankri's locker is right down the hall from yours. He leaves you at your locker while he goes a little ways down the hall to his own locker. You aren't really sure what to put in the locker, because you were home-schooled for most of your life. You never actually had thought much about the particulars of attending a public school.

Your vision drifts to watch some kid down the hall take a book and binder out of his bag, before shoving the rest into his binder. Since you haven't been issued any school books yet, you set your book bag into the bottom of the locker and keep your binder tucked into the crook of your arm.

You pull out your schedule, which you had slid into the transparent front of your bind, looking over the order of your classes. You turn to head back in the direction that Kankri went, staring down at the paper in your hands and taking a step forward.

You're immediately stopped as you bump into the smaller red-headed boy. He stumbles backwards, almost losing his footing. His brown eyes go wide, mouth parting slightly in surprise as he starts to tumble backwards. That is, until your arm stretches out instinctively to grab onto the bright red fabric that covers his left shoulder. His right arm comes up, grabbing onto your wrist for balance. You're able to keep him from falling by clutching onto his sweater, but his binder and notebook fall from his hands, sending several of his papers to the floor.

Smooth move Ampora.

"Ah fuck, I'm sorry!" You release your grasp on his sweater the second that he seems to have his balance. You can feel your cheeks heat up in embarrassment as you immediately drop to your knees, setting your binder on the ground beside you and scrambling to pick up his papers for him.

He seems to be in a daze as he holds still for a few seconds, until you see him kneel in front of you, sliding some of his papers toward him to put them into a neat stack. "It's quite alright Cronus. I understand that you did not mean to do any harm. Though you should be more careful." He keeps a calm, impassive face as he opens his binder, sliding the papers back into it carefully, then he closes his binder and stands up.

You let out a quiet sigh as you grab onto your own binder off of the dirty hall floor, standing up and wiping your hands off onto your jeans. "Sorry..." You mutter out again, looking a bit to the side.

"Cronus, It is fine." He furrows his eyebrows slightly, looking up at you for a moment before the bell rings throughout the hall.

Kankri explains that the bell will ring again in five minutes, and if you aren't in your classroom when it does then you will be marked tardy. He hurriedly explains how the halls are laid out, which actually turns out to be pretty simple. Apparently there are four main halls; each are numbered one through four. Any room number in the one-hundreds will be on the first hall, two-hundreds are on the second hall, and so on. Lastly there are two other halls, one leads to the gymnasium and the other is for extra-curricular and pathway classes. You thankfully do not have a gym class, so you are not very worried about remembering the location of that hall, but you do have two extra-curricular classes that will require you to go down the pathway hall. Thankfully these two classes are in the same classroom, which will hopefully lessen the stress on you.

"Do you understand?" Kankri says as soon as he has finished explaining.

You push up a smile, still giving your mind time to process the information that you have been given, "Yeah I got it chief."

"Oh good. Well... What is your first class? Perhaps we will be on the same hall?"

You frown slightly for only a moment before looking at your schedule briefly again. "Room 213." You say as you start to fold up the piece of paper, pushing it into your jacket pocket. No way were you going to tell Kankri that you were taking support math. He was definitely smarter than you, but you didn't want to give him satisfaction of knowing it.

"Oh," he frowns slightly, "My first class is on this hall." He sounds slightly disappointed, though you may be imagining it.

"What class is that?"

"Advanced composition." He blinks up at you, brown eyes shining a bit in the cheap fluorescent lighting of the school building.

Yep. Definitely probably smarter than you.

You nod slightly in understanding before speaking again, "Well, I'd better get going. Wouldn't want to be late for my first day or anything." You shift your binder to your other arm, smiling widely at him.

"Oh, I would not want that either Cronus... I will see you later?"

You smile a bit softer, "Yeah, of course Kan." You take a step backwards, getting ready to go.

"Alright... I will save you a seat at my lunch table... Well... not my lunch table. It is the lunch table that I sit at... If you would like me to, I mean." His freckled cheeks dust slightly red as he looks away.

"Yeah sure thing. Sounds great Kan." You smile and turn, starting to walk away before turning your head to call back to him, "I'll see you then angelface."

* * *

**_I live._****_Sorry for the random hiatus... and a big thanks to everyone who's been sticking with this. 85 followers! WOW! Thank you so much. ;-;  
_**

**_so anyway... I am going to be making a couple of changes to this series, but I'm sure they will be for the better. The first is that starting next chapter I plan to switch over to third person. This is because I came upon the realization that I suck at second person. So yeah, this will hopefully bump up the quality of this series a few notches. (It's for the better I purromise.) The second change is that my chapters are probably going to be getting shorter. This is so I won't feel as much pressure to write so much. Also, that way I'll probably update more...  
_**

**_So yeah. Thanks for sticking with me! Let me know what you guys think! :3_**


	11. Chapter 11

As far as first days of school go, Cronus's has gone pretty well so far. When he pictured going to a public school, his first thought was that it'd be like they show it in the movies, with people yelling across classrooms, teachers that hate their students, and yes, he even thought that he'd end up seeing some nerdy kid being pushed into a locker or trashcan while he made his way down the hall. So far, he hasn't seen anything quite like that yet.

One thing that the movies did manage to get right, however, is how boring the classes can be. All throughout the day, Cronus found himself slowly losing interest in his classes. He really did try to pay attention for the most part, but the only two classes so far that he really retained information from were history and his music theory class, both of which he actually found himself enjoying.

Literature was awful in the sense that the teacher just would not stop talking, going on and on about the literary devices used in some boring novel that the class had to read. As it turns out, Cronus also had to check out said novel from his teacher and was told to read it at some point over the course of the next few months. The rest of the class had almost finished the book and were preparing to test over and write an essay about it. His teacher said that he would be exempted from writing the essay and taking the test, but he was still required to read the book for some project that they would be doing at the end of the year.

Cronus did make a new friend at least, if he could really call her that yet. Really they only talked for a little while toward the end of Cronus's math class. Her name is Damara and though it was a bit difficult for Cronus to understand everything that she was saying due to her heavy oriental accent, she was fun to talk to. The two shared a similar sense of humor, laughing over perverted jokes, and it was clear that she did not care what people thought about her. This made her even more crude which in turn made their conversations more interesting. Besides talking with Damara for a bit and Kankri earlier that morning, Cronus has kept to himself for most of the day.

As of now, he is walking down the hall, on his way to the lunch room. He wonders if Kankri actually saved him a seat at lunch or if he forgot. Once he enters the cafeteria, he steps off to the side to stand by the wall and scan the crowd for a familiar freckled face. His eyes dart around the room, lost in the sea of bodies that swarm around the open space. It's not until most of the crowd has cleared out that he finally spots Kankri. Apparently he had already gone through the lunch line; he sits alone at a table in the corner with a school salad in front of him.

Cronus makes his way across the lunchroom, glancing around as he nears the table. "Hey angelface," he grins as he sits down directly across from the red head.

Kankri looks up, looking a bit startled before a brief look of annoyance crosses his face as he wonders whether or not it is worth correcting the taller boy anymore. He bites his lips slightly before letting out a defeated sigh followed by a small smile, "Hello Cronus," he pauses, "Aren't you going to go get something to eat?"

The darker haired boy shakes his head slightly, "Not all that hungry."

"Cronus you shouldn't skip meals. It is not healthy for you to-"

Before he can finish, Cronus is cutting him off, "Look, school ends in a little while anyway. So don't worry about it, yeah?"

Kankri frowns slightly but looks down, not wanting to argue with the other. He eats his salad in silence for a few moments before he is looking over his shoulder to see someone behind him calling his name.

"Kanny," Porrim smiles softly as she sits down beside her best friend. She sets her own salad down on the table before pushing her hair to fall behind her shoulders. "Where were you this morning?" She frowns slightly at her friend.

Kankri looks confused for a moment before responding quickly, "Oh," he looks away a bit guiltily, "I am sorry, Porrim. I meant to text you and tell you that I would be showing a new student around school." The Vantas forces a small smile as he glances between his new friend and his best friend. "Oh, I apologize again," he sputters, "Cronus, this is my friend Porrim Maryam. Porrim, this is-"

Before he can finish his introduction, Porrim is cutting him off, "Cronus Ampora. I know." Her eyes are narrowed at the person sitting diagonal of her as she speaks.

Kankri wonders for a moment if she had heard rumors of Cronus, which leads to a sinking feeling as he imagines the awful rumors that may already be circulating around the new student already.

"Please tell me you aren't hanging out with this guy."

The venom in Porrim's voice practically drips from her lips, leading Kankri to realize that perhaps this malignant attitude was not coming purely from rumor. He concludes that Porrim must have met Cronus at some point earlier today, but he is still confused. Cronus must have done something terrible to warrant this sort of treatment from Porrim, but as far as Kankri has seen, Cronus has been fairly kind and reasonably agreeable. Once glance at the other boy baffles the ginger further.

Cronus has his mouth set in a thin line and his eyebrows furrow as if he is trying to recall something that he has forgotten. "Sorry doll but uh… Do I know you?" He looks at Porrim in confusion.

Her mouth practically falls open as she stares at him in disbelief.

"Porrim?" Kankri frowns between his two friends. "Cronus is a new student… He's been very kind to me, what ever could he have done wrong?"

The dark haired girl turns in her chair to face her friend better. "Remember that party that Meenah had over the summer," she starts, "the one I tried to convince you to go to?"

Kankri nodded slightly. He had almost agreed to go to that party with Porrim, but as usual he had cancelled at the last moment when he found out there would be alcohol there. Instead he spent the evening on his blog. Then in the morning he drove over to Meenah's mansion, picked up his hung-over best friend, took her home, and made her tea.

"Well this guy," she points an accusatory finger at Cronus, "was the one that I told you about, Meenah's cousin. The one who got drunk and went around trying to flirt with people all night," she pauses for a moment and sends another glare over at him. "I'm pretty sure he hit on almost everyone there... Including me… It was very annoying and a little pathetic."

As Porrim tells Kankri about what she had witnessed at Meenah's party, Cronus's face slowly seems to show signs of recognition. He brings his hand up to smooth down his already slicked back hair as he sighs, "Yeah that sounds like me," he mumbles out in defeat, not bothering to say anything in his defense. That is, until he notices Kankri looking at him as if he had just kicked a small dog. "I mean… That sounds like the old me." He shrinks down a little more in his seat and when the look Kankri is giving him does not change. He adds on quickly, "I mean… That doesn't sound like me at all… You sure you've got the right person, doll?"

Porrim scoffs and rolls her eyes and Kankri's jaw drops in disbelief. Before the shorter student can say anything to reprimand the person across from him, a tanned arm is slinging itself over his shoulder as Meenah Peixes sits down right next to him, grinning widely.

"Yo, cuz," She grins at Cronus before reaching up to mess up his hair, though immediately as her fingers touch the excessive gel in his slicked hair, she pulls her hand away with a look of disgust and wipes it onto his leather jacket quickly, "Gross, man," she laughs as Cronus shoves her away in favor of fixing his hair. "I see you met Vantas," Meenah notices the look that Porrim is giving Cronus and lets out a quiet snicker, "and Maryam again. You remember Maryam, right Cro?"

"Not really, actually," Cronus frowns and look between his cousin and Porrim, "I mean apparently I was drunk… The last half of that night was just a huge blur…" He seems as though he is trying very hard to not look at the red head as he talks.

For Kankri, the rest of the lunch period goes by pretty fast. Aranea had eventually joined their lunch table to sit by Porrim, which caused her to have to split her attention between her best friend and girlfriend, ultimately leaving Kankri out of a lot of the conversation. He listens to the two girls gossip while Meenah tries to help Cronus remember her party by explaining to him in detail how he was shot down by every girl and guy that he hit on.

When the bell signaling the end of lunch rings, Porrim gives Kankri a quick hug and shoots one last disgusted look at Cronus before she and Aranea are hurrying off to their next class.

Once Kankri has finished saying goodbye to his friend, he turns back around and almost bumps directly into Cronus. He stares up at the taller man for a moment, still not quite able to get Cronus to hold eye contact with him.

"Hey uh… Kan," He starts off a bit nervously, "about what Maryam was saying-"

"Don't worry about it now, Cronus." Kankri stares up at him, not wanting to hear any more of it from him at the moment. "Do you need help finding your next class?" he changes the subject.

The dark haired boy furrows his eyebrows and frowns. He considered lying so that Kankri would need to walk with him for a little longer but as he remembers what his next class is he quickly changes his mind. "Nah, Kan," he mumbles out, "I've got it."

Kankri nods slightly and takes a step back, "That is good," he pauses briefly, "I hope that you will have a nice day Cronus."

"Yeah, you too angelface," the taller man tries to ignore Kankri's grimace at the name and as Kankri turns away he calls after him, "Text me later, yeah?"

He knew it was rude, but Kankri decided not to answer. Instead he pretends that he did not hear Cronus call after him. In truth, he did not know if he would be texting Cronus anymore. He wanted to ask Porrim more about what she knew of Cronus before he decided if he wanted to continue to associate with him.

Defeated, Cronus turns and walks back down the hall, stopping by his locker for a moment before heading toward his next class, Musical Theater.

* * *

_**Hey guys... I'm really really sorry for not updating... I've kinda fallen out of this fandom a little and I've been busy with some other stories so I've been having a hard time being interested in this fic. I didn't want to call it off because I you guys have all been really supportive and are looking forward to reading more. I hope to start updating more. Again I'm really sorry for keeping you guys waiting. Please leave me a comment?**_


	12. Chapter 12

"Kanny?" Porrim's voice rings through the phone's speaker, "Are you listening to me?"

Kankri is lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. He wears a pair of plain black sweatpants and a red shirt for his pajamas and his hair is still damp from the shower that he had taken not long ago. He has his phone, which is lying to the side of his head, on speaker. There are several papers, along with open books, scattered around on his bed from where he had been trying to study earlier, though after Porrim had called he had given up on it.

He squints up at the boring white of his ceiling as he thinks back upon the last few things that his friend had said. Though he had been spacing out, he had been making sure to keep an ear open for anything important that she could be saying.

"You..." he pauses to recollect his thoughts before speaking slowly and carefully, as if he were asking a question, "You are concerned that Aranea is becoming more withdrawn from your romantic relationship."

On the other side of the line, Porrim stays quiet for a moment. Kankri had been listening enough to sum up what she has been talking about for the past few minutes, but she could tell that his mind was somewhere else entirely. She lays on her stomach on her bed in her black tank top and sleep shorts. Her phone is held between her ear and shoulder, allowing her to use her hands to continue painting her fingernails a jade green color.

The tan girl lets out a quiet sigh as she sits up, only to lean back against a mountain of plush pillows at the head of her bed, "Kankri, what's wrong?"

This seems to take the other by surprise as he furrows his eyebrows at the ceiling and bites his lip before trying his hardest to speak in an even voice, "Nothing is wrong, Porrim. Please tell me more about your relationship problems."

Porrim's pierced eyebrows narrow at the far wall of her room, "Kankri," she says in a warning tone, "don't give me that. Tell me what's wrong. You were acting weird earlier today too."

"I was not," the redhead retorts defensively, though he isn't able to say anything further before Porrim is cutting him off.

"You were," she said quickly, "You were quiet for most of lunch, and then when it was time to go home you barely said goodbye before just walking out of the building without me."

He did feel bad for that. Usually if Porrim is engaged in a conversation with someone else as school is getting out, Kankri will wait patiently for them to finish their discussion so the two of them can walk out to the parking lot together. Today he had simply cut in to tell her he was leaving and then left without saying anything further.

"My mind has just been..." he pauses, "preoccupied, is all."

Porrim rolls her eyes and sinks into her pillows, staring at her freshly painted nails as she waits for them to dry. "Want to elaborate on that, Kanny?"

"It's nothing really... Just something stupid..." he trails off before sighing and giving in, "Are you sure you and Meenah were not exaggerating about Cronus's behavior at the party?" he bites at his lip slightly as the silence rings over the line, waiting for his friend to respond.

"Yes," Porrim finally speaks up, "I'm sure... why would you ask that Kankri?" The frown in her voice can be heard. "Does it really matter? He's just someone you were having to show around school, right?" She had thought that seeing them together had meant that Kankri had volunteered to show Cronus around as part of his obligations from student council.

"Well.. Not exactly..." Kankri grabs his cell phone and rolls onto his side, curling up a little bit. "His little brother, Eridan, made friends with Karkat. They were working on a project together last week so I ended up meeting Cronus when he came to pick his brother up... He seemed very nice at the time..."

The Maryam's pierced eyebrows furrow as she narrows her eyes, "Was he flirting with you?"

Kankri tilts his head for a moment as he thinks about it. Yes, he had thought that Cronus was hitting on him, but he did not think that it mattered at the time. Cronus could have easily been joking and meant nothing by his advances. "No... I do not think so..." Kankri lies quietly.

Porrim goes quiet again before speaking up a little louder, "Do you like him, Kankri?"

"What?!" his face heats up in shock, "No, of course not! I barely know him." He scowls slightly, though he can't help but remember the way that Cronus's hand felt against his own when they quite harmlessly shook hands.

"It was just a question Kanny, calm down." She can be heard laughing over the line. "Were you wanting to get to know him better? You've only talked for a little bit, right?"

"Well... yes... But we had been texting for the majority of last night and he was very-"

"Wait... You two were talking for most of last night? What all did you talk about?"

Kankri finally sits up and begins to sort through the papers that litter his bed, stacking them neatly as he pulls his binder closer. "Just general things... I asked him how he was adjusting to his apartment... He asked me some questions about our school... We talked about our brothers... That was about it really. We didn't have much to talk about."

"Well the two of you don't really have much in common."

"I know... He has been trying to text me tonight." Kankri sighs quietly as he puts his binder back into his school bag. "I have not responded yet."

"Are you planning on it?" Porrim asked.

"I don't know yet," Kankri sets his bag down beside his nightstand, sighing as he picks up his phone to look at the alerts that indicate that he has missed messages from Cronus, "It would be rude of me not to."

Porrim sits up slowly and finally takes her cell phone in her hand, "If you say so Kankri," she said, obviously worried for her friend, "Hey, my mom's calling for me... I'll text you in a few minutes, alright Kanny?"

"Okay Porrim," he smiles slightly as he says goodbye to his friend before ending the call.

The redhead sighs quietly and scoots backwards on his bed until he can feel the pillows behind him, then leans back against their softness. He then pulls his knees up to hug his legs with one arm as he reads over the last few texts he has received from Cronus.

"hey Kan"

"you there angelface? ;)"

"Are you mad at me?"

"Or you just think I'm an asshole cuz of what Maryam said?"

"I mean... It's okay if you hate me now..."

Kankri squints at the screen, not able to shake the feeling that perhaps Cronus was trying to guilt him into replying to the messages. He stares at his screen, frowning for a moment and despite his assumptions on the intentions of the messages, he types out a short reply.

"Cronus, I am not mad at you and I do not hate you. I was on the phone."

"Oh there you are." "alright if you say so kan." "So hey angel face, I've been thinking.. Since you're not mad at me or anything I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date this weekend." "Like.. maybe go to the movies... or go out to eat.. Or go to the aquarium..." "We can go wherever you want." "I'll pick you up at 5 on Saturday, okay?"

Kankri stares at his phone screen in disbelief for a moment before turning off his phone, walking all the way across the room to set it on the bookshelf, and then walking all the way back to crawl into bed.

**END OF ACT 1**

* * *

**_HEY GUYS! So yep I did the act thing. hah... So yep...there will probably be like... three acts? maybe four... I haven't quite decided how I want to break them up yet._**

**_Also! It would be super awesome if you could do me a huge solid and follow my writing blog on tumblr, writingonprospit, It'd be an awesome way to get better feedback from you guys! and I can talk to you and you guys can see what I'm up to. :3 I've only got 9 followers right now so it's kind of lonely haha._**

**_Lots of love!_**


	13. Chapter 13

**INTERMISSION**

The curtains are drawn shut tightly, engulfing the room in a darkness that is only broken by several wax candles lit on the nearby nightstand. The curtains match the dark green color of the bedspread that had been discarded uselessly to the floor a little over an hour ago. The remainder of the sheets on the bed are black in color, wrinkled up, and sticking slightly to the skin of the two girls who lay upon them.

Porrim's tan skin is exposed to the cool air around her. She kisses her girlfriend slowly as the two of them are calming down. Her dark hair is draped across the bed in a messy stream, moving away from her head. She keeps her finely manicured hand buried in her lover's short blonde hair, carding through it gently as they kiss, feeling its softness between her fingers. With every deep breath she takes, she can feel the other teen's chest brushing over her own.

Aranea's breath is a bit more even than Porrim's. She is exhausted from the past hour, not wanting to put forth any effort to get up. Still, she pulls away from her girlfriend, rolling onto her back to stare up at the ceiling blankly.

Porrim frowns slightly at the action, moving to roll on her stomach and propping herself up on her elbows just enough to look at the other girl worriedly. "What's wrong, Aranea?" she asks softly in her smoky voice, moving a hand to run along the blonde's side comfortingly.

Aranea simply stares at the ceiling for a few moments before rolling onto her side to face Porrim. "Nothing is wrong," she lies with a smile, reaching over and cupping the side of her girlfriend's face. She did not want to try and make sense of what she was feeling. Putting it into words would only make things worse.

"Are you sure?" the taller girl asks quietly, rubbing at the pale soft skin of Aranea's hip. What would usually seem to be an intimate and even sexual gesture was nothing more than a polite comfort due to the distanced tone of the two girls.

"Positive," the blonde says as she pecks the other girl's lips gently, "It was perfect."

The melancholy reality of their situation begins to seep in as Aranea mulls her own words over in her head. It was perfect. Sex with Porrim was always perfect, but lately something has been missing, even though nothing has changed. Like always, they both managed to come to completion before lying together afterwards to simply enjoy one another's company. Yet somehow in the past few weeks, she hasn't been able to find the same comfort that she used to find in Porrim's presence. Their sex left her feeling completely physically satisfied, but emotionally, she felt as though she was detached from the other woman.

Aranea lets out a quiet sigh and slowly begins to sit up, leaning down to peck Porrim's lips softly before sliding off of the bed. She can feel the dark haired woman's eyes watching her as she leans down to retrieve her underwear from the floor. Her legs shake slightly as she steps into her blue panties and pulls them on. Then, she pulls on her matching bra and immediately makes her way over to her other clothes without saying a word to her girlfriend.

"You don't have to leave yet," Porrim says quietly, "My mother won't be home until after seven... We've got three hours." She sits up slowly, allowing her eyes to follow the blonde around the room.

Aranea glances back to the other for only a moment before she begins to pull on her black skirt. "I told Meenah that I'd meet her for dinner," she responds quickly, avoiding eye contact with Porrim as she speaks, "I'm already running late, so I've got to go." She pulls on her shirt quickly and then grabs her glasses from the nightstand.

Porrim watches Aranea make her way across the room to the full length standing mirror in the corner. "We've been planning this for two weeks Aranea," the dark haired woman reminds her in a flat and perplexing tone, keeping her eyes glued to the other.

The shorter women slides her white glasses onto her face, making sure to fix her hair by pulling a few blonde strands from underneath the temples of the white plastic. "I know, I know," she sighs out quietly and takes a moment to stare at her disheveled appearance in the mirror, trying to straighten her clothes and hair quickly. "I'm a bad girlfriend," she continues on passive-aggressively.

"You are not," Porrim sighs and moves to the side of the bed closest to Aranea, pulling up a sheet to cover her chest and in between her legs.

The blonde looks wistfully into the mirror, catching eye contact with her girlfriend for just a moment before turning around to face her and walk closer. She sure felt like a bad girlfriend. Before her was the most beautiful woman that she had ever seen. Porrim was physically flawless, and right now she looked absolutely stunning. Her tan skin looked as though it was absorbing the light from the candles and the dark tattoos that snaked around her arms and legs only seemed to accentuate her beautiful olive skin. Her long and dark messy hair resembled that of a goddess's. Her green eyes were alluring, piercing and dangerous, but also showing love and understanding.

Yet despite all of this, Aranea could not convince herself to look at Porrim with the same emotion that the other gazed at her with. "I need to go," Aranea cups the side of Porrim's face and leans in to kiss her briefly before turning and heading toward the door.

"Alright," Porrim mutters quietly, then calls out a quick, unrequited, "I love you," as her girlfriend leaves her alone, naked in the bed that they had just shared together.

Porrim knew that things had been changing between the two of them. She could tell that Aranea was becoming more withdrawn from her, and yet for some reason, neither of them were putting forth the effort to fix it.

**END INTERMISSION**

* * *

**_Thanks for reading! Please leave a review... It seems like every time I post a new chapter I get less feedback.  
_**

**_My tumblr is writingonprospit_**

**_Is there anything that you guys are particularly excited to see in Act 2? :3_**


	14. Chapter 14

"Dan," he can feel himself being shaken gently out of his sleep, "Dan, wake up."

Eridan's eyes open slowly and he whines quietly as he reaches up to rub the sleepiness from his eyes. "Cro?" he asks with a tired mumble, "W-wha's goin' on?"

It had to be almost one o'clock in the morning. Eridan's room is dark, with only the moonlight streaming in through the window to the left of his bed. He can make out the form of his older brother standing beside his queen sized bed. He blinks his eyes in the dark for a moment, only to be momentarily blinded as Cronus turns on the lamp on his nightstand, which sends a dull light across the room.

In the new light, Eridan can see his brother better and immediately, his eyes widen in shock as he sits up, trying to untangle himself from his sheets. "Cro?!" he asks quickly in a panic, "What happened?"

Cronus frowns down at his younger brother. He is fully dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, along with his favorite leather jacket. He holds a white cloth, stained with deep red liquid to the right side of his forehead. "We're leaving, Dan." Cronus says quietly, frowning and looking to the side.

Despite his hesitance on wanting to leave, Eridan trusts his brother more than anything in the world. So he quickly hops out of bed, noticing Cronus's suitcase by the door. "What do I need to pack?" Eridan asks quickly, fully awake now.

"Just essentials right now," Cronus says as he winces slightly, holding the cloth a bit tighter to his head, "I'll come and get our other stuff later if I have to."

The blonde nods quickly, moving to his closet and pulling his own suitcase out to begin throwing some of his clothes into it hurriedly.

"We need to go by the hospital first," the older brother says with a grimace, "Then we'll go to Aunt Condy's house for tonight."

* * *

"Eridan? ... Seriously, Eridan, wake up!"

Eridan's pale blue eyes shoot open quickly, immediately focusing on the face of his best friend, Karkat. "W-what?" the blonde stutters out dumbly, staring at the other boy who is leaning over him to look at him.

"You said if I brought over _50 First Dates_ you would watch it with me!" Karkat growls irritably. "When did you fall asleep?" He demands to know.

"I dunno," Eridan says as he shoves the smaller boy's head away from his own so that he can sit up without bumping their heads together. "Is it over yet?"

"Yes, it's over," Karkat says, eyes narrowed and arms crossed in extreme annoyance. "Did you even want to watch it?!" he asks accusingly.

"No," the blonde retorts quickly, stretching and wiping the sleep from his eyes, "I told you I didn't want to watch it before you put it in."

"Why'd you say I should bring it over then?!" Karkat yells in disbelief.

"Stop yelling!" Eridan whispers harshly, "Cro got mad last time we were loud when he was trying to practice." The sound of a guitar being played can be heard through the wall in the next room.

The brunette huffs out quietly and looks away, grumbling quietly before dropping his arms to his sides with a sigh. "Kankri texted me earlier," Karkat says, "He's on the way to pick me up."

The other child nods slightly in understanding before smiling as he gets up to go turn the television off. "Think Cro's going to hit on him again?" Eridan asks playfully.

"I'd be more surprised if he didn't," Karkat responds.

It's been almost a month since the two Amporas moved into the apartment together. Since then, Eridan and Karkat have become almost inseparable. They spend the night at each other's homes a lot of the time, and almost every day after school they wind up going to either of their homes together to do homework. This afternoon, Cronus picked up both of them after school since Kankri was staying after for a student council meeting He bought them pizza, then pretty much left them alone for the rest of the afternoon.

Eridan sighs and clicks the power button on the television before making his way back to sit beside Karkat again. "Do you think they're ever going to get together?"

The other boy leans against the arm of the sofa, not needing to think much on the question before responding. "Of course they will," he reassures Eridan quickly, "It's just like in all of the movies. If your brother keeps flirting with my brother enough, then Kankri will eventually cave."

"This isn't a movie, Kar," Eridan reminds him with a frown, brushing his bangs from his face. The purple streak was almost gone now and he really wishes he had asked Cronus about dying it again sooner. Maybe he'd talk to him about it tonight. "What if Cro gives up because Kankri keeps shooting him down?" the blonde asks, frowning slightly.

"Why would he give up?" Karkat asks, narrowing his eyes, "He likes Kankri doesn't he?"

"Well," the taller child starts a bit hesitantly, "I think so." He sounds unsure of himself, faltering at the end of his sentence.

The brunette frowns before narrowing his eyes slightly, "What do you mean, you think so?"

"W-well, I mean... I'm pretty sure he does like Kan... He talks about him a lot and he flirts with him every time he comes around but," Eridan trails off slowly, frowning slightly at his hands.

"But what?" Karkat urges him nervously.

"I dunno, Kar," the blonde takes his glasses off, wiping the lenses with the sleeve of his black long sleeve shirt. "He's been talking to this other girl lately, ya know?"

"What?!" the other kid's jaw drops slightly, "Who?! Why didn't you tell-" he trails off and takes a deep breath, seeming to try to compose himself. He holds it for five seconds before letting it out slowly, just like his brother has taught him to do. "I'm sure it's nothing, Eridan. It's not like Kankri doesn't talk to girls too."

Eridan puts his glasses back on then scratches at the back of his neck gently, "Well yeah, but," he fidgets again, "they went out to dinner and to see a movie the other day."

The panicked expression on Karkat's face is immediately returning. "What do you mean?! Like, on a date?! He went on a date?!" he yells in disbelief.

"Kar!" Eridan hisses, lowering his voice, "Quiet. Cro's in the next room. He could hear you."

"Did he go on a date?" Karkat asks persistently, though a bit quieter.

"Yeah," the other frowns as he gives the brunette the news.

"What's her name?"

"I think it's Damara," Eridan answers quietly, "I heard Cro talking to her on the phone the other day."

Karkat groans in disbelief, standing up and starting to pace back and forth as he thinks. "Why would he flirt with Kankri then?"

The boy with glasses turns on the couch to sit forward, letting his legs hang off of the front of it as he watches the shorter child walk past him over and over again. "I dunno, Kar," he says simply.

"Well he can't like both of them... Maybe he doesn't like her as much as Kankri?" he asks hopefully.

"I dunno, Kar."

"How serious are they?" he asks, running through the possibilities in his head.

"I dunno, Kar."

Karkat groans and plops down on the couch beside Eridan again. "This is terrible," he sighs quietly with a frown, "You need to talk to him, Eridan."

"What? About what?" he asks with a frown, slumping against the back of the couch. "It's not like there's anything we can do."

"See?" Karkat says quickly, voice cracking slightly, "That's where you're wrong! This happens in movies all the time too! They just need someone to play match maker."

"You're kidding me right?" the taller boy narrows his eyes questionably from behind his glasses.

"Absolutely not!" Karkat copies Eridan's facial expression, narrowing his eyes right back at him. "Let's go to your room!" He stands up again quickly.

"Why?" the other asks with a frown but gets up to follow Karkat anyway.

"That way when my brother gets here, Cronus will answer the door."

Eridan cannot help but laugh as he follows his friend down the hall. "That's your expert matchmaking plan?" he asks with a laugh.

Karkat puffs out his cheeks slightly in embarrassment, "It's all I can think of right now."

* * *

_**EriKar palebros, anyone?**_

_**So I was thinking, there are a lot of you guys that follow this story. Does anyone want to try drawing fanart of this story? It can be any scene from this fic, or even just the characters.  
**_

_**If you want to submit fanart to me type writingonprospit dot tumblr dot com /submit into your url... **_

_**Thanks for reading! Review please. :3**_


	15. Chapter 15

Cronus is relaxing in his room, sitting on the bed and leaning back against the wall behind him. Sheets of music are littered across his mattress and his fingers strum lazily at a series of chords on his acoustic guitar. He had showered as soon as he got home that afternoon, wanting to be rid of the grease that almost always slicks his hair back.

He runs a hand through the loose curls of his still drying hair, sitting up a bit in his bed to shuffle through some of the sheet music. He takes a pencil from his nightstand and writes a few alterations on the part before going right back to plucking out the piece with rough calloused fingers.

It has been a month since he moved up here with Eridan to get away from their family. All this time has passed and the older Ampora still is not sure that he has done the right thing by taking his litter brother from their home.

At the time it seemed like it was the only option. He knew that sort of environment wasn't any good for either of them anymore. They were having a harder time talking to either of their parents. Their dad would lock himself away in his office even more so than usual and their mother had moved into a separate room of the house. Eridan was not eating anymore and he was becoming withdrawn, which was odd for the normally outgoing child.

No matter what Cronus did to try and fix things, nothing seemed to help. His mother would ignore him or talk to him as if he were stupid, and his father just would not acknowledge that there was a problem. It was little things that continued to pile up, until the night they left, when one final push made the decision for Cronus.

The annoying buzz of the door alarm, signaling that someone wants to be let into the building, interrupts the teenager's thoughts.

_That's right, _he thought, _Kankri's here to pick up his brother._

Cronus huffs in frustration. He had almost forgotten that Karkat came over with Eridan after school today. "Dan," he yells for his brother, "Go let Kankri in!" He leans back a bit, only to hear the sound of the buzzer again. "Eridan!" The dark haired teen goes quiet for a moment as he waits for a response. "Hey, shithead, the door!"

When he finally realizes that Eridan has no intention of listening, he grumbles and sets his guitar to the side. He slides off the side of his bed, bare feet hitting the hardwood floors of his room. He makes his way into the main room of the apartment, walking up to the front wall to hold down the button for the intercom.

"Who is it?"

* * *

Kankri stands with his back against the brick wall of the apartment complex. He considers pressing the buzzer again, paranoid that perhaps it was not heard the first two times, but the rational part of his brain tells him to wait just a moment longer.

"Who is it?"

Kankri relaxes for a moment at the response before frowning and narrowing his eyes. _Will this ever get old to him? _he thinks as he reaches out to hold down the talk button.

"Cronus, it is Kankri," he says with a scowl, " You know who this is." He finds himself crossing his arms. Perhaps it was amusing the first time, maybe even the second time, but now it is just troublesome.

"I'm gonna need some kinda reassurance, chief." Cronus's voice comes out crackled from the intercom, "What's the password?"

The red headed teen narrows his eyes at the plastic box on the wall, gritting his teeth slightly before taking a deep breath to calm himself and push down the button again. "Cronus," he says with an air of annoyance, "We have done this six times now. Every time you ask me the password, I do not know it, and you eventually let me in anyway. Can we skip this ridiculous step? It would be most beneficial to both of us, for we would not be wasting time with these shenanigans."

No response comes from the speaker for almost a minute. Cronus has stopped pressing the speak button and is laughing on the other end of the line. It takes him a moment to collect himself, and then he is holding down the button to talk again.

"Password?"

Kankri practically growls, reaching up and pressing the buzzer for their apartment number repeatedly. He understands that it is childish but he really just could not help himself at this point. It only takes a few seconds of this before Cronus is buzzing Kankri into the apartment complex.

The red headed teen mumbles quietly to himself as he makes his way up the stairs to the second story. His expression changes into a hard frown as he nears the Ampora's apartment and he can hear Cronus laughing through the door. Kankri shakes his head in disbelief, reaching his hand out to knock on the door.

"Password?"

Kankri huffs and crosses his arms, shooting glares at the door frame. "I am not amused... And I still do not know the password." He does not knock again and remains still as he stares at the door for half of a minute until the lock clicks and the door opens.

* * *

Cronus's face is red from laughter and he slouches slightly in the doorway, trying to calm down, but as soon as he sees the other teen's face he is choking back laughter again.

Kankri sighs and shakes his head, shifting his weight to one leg and staring up at Cronus, walking in when the other allows him to. He waits for Cronus to calm down before turning to face him. "It isn't funny anymore," he assures the other.

"I dunno chief, I still find it pretty funny."

"Of course you do," Kankri says with furrowed eyebrows. His expression softens slightly when he finally looks at Cronus, smiling slightly at the other's appearance.

The way that the shorter man is staring at him begins to make Cronus a bit nervous, and he shifts uncomfortably at the other's gaze. "What? Why're you looking at me like-"

Cronus suddenly is aware of the way he must look to Kankri. He wears a pair of black sweatpants, and an "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," shirt that he would rather not admit to owning.

It is not to be mistaken that Cronus doesn't like Harry Potter. He loves Harry Potter and always has, every since he was a child. He had a large collection of Hogwarts T-shirts, the full book and movie collections, Hogwarts house cups and mugs that he and Eridan use, several sets of Harry Potter pajamas, and a custom made wand and Slytherin uniform, complete with a cloak, tie, and scarf that he bought last time he and his brother went to Universal Studios. He simply would rather no one else know about his slight obsession with the series. This was perhaps due to Meenah making fun of him for liking wizards and believing in magic when they were children. Now, he tries to be less open with his interests. After all, he would not want Kankri to think he was some kind of a nerd.

He runs a hand up into his dark hair in a display of stress but then freezes suddenly, eyes going wide as he remembers that his hair is not styled. It was slightly damp and beginning to form into loose curls, exactly the way Cronus hated.

"Shit, Kan. Lemme go fix my hair-" he begins to say, only to be cut off by the younger man shaking his head slightly.

"There is no need for that Cronus, I did not mean to make you feel self conscious. I guarantee that I will not be here for long, so it would be absurd if you were to style your hair for the brief time that I am here."

_Besides_, Kankri considers, _his hair does look quite nice without all of its normal product in it. Not to say that it doesn't look nice with it in, it does suit him well. But this is nice too, in a more natural way._

Cronus fidgets, fighting the urge to run away and get a hat or go fix his hair, trying, with much difficulty, to keep up his confident and cheerful facade in front of Kankri.

* * *

_**Nerdy Cronus. I live for Cronus being a closet nerd. Sue me.**_

_**ASLO! VERY IMPORTANT! Check out this FG2S fanart that lemon-yu-lemon on tumblr sent to me! I cried... I literally curled up and cried from happiness. Reblog it! Follow lemon-yu-lemon! **_

_** writingonprospit (dot tumblr) (dot com) /post/124569748388/this-is-an-amazing-piece-sent-to-me-by**_

_**and if you want to draw fanart of this story I will love you forever! Send me a link to where you post it because hell yeah I want to see! my tumblr is writingonprospit!**_


	16. Chapter 16

"But we aren't done with the movie yet!" Karkat explains quickly, frowning up at his older brother from his place on Eridan's bed.

"Karkat, I told you what time you should have been ready by. You're usually very good about being ready to leave when I tell you that you should be."

"Kankri, please don't make him go yet!" Eridan whines with a pout, "I want to finish watching the movie. It's only thirty more minutes." The blond child clings to his friend, trying to enact some form of sympathy from the older Vantas.

As soon as the two sixth graders had heard the buzzer, signaling that Kankri was here to get Karkat, they had rushed to find some kind of an excuse for Karkat to stay longer. The only thing that they could think of at the time had been to put the DVD back into the player, go to scene selection, and pick a random scene.

Kankri sighs and crosses his arms, glancing at the television screen. "Fine," he says begrudgingly in agreement, "It isn't a school night Karkat. That is the _only_ reason I am allowing this." Truth be told, Kankri really did not want to look like the bad guy in front of Karkat's friend. He glances at the two children for a moment and then at the TV before turning on his heel to walk back out of the bedroom.

The red head walks into the main living area to see Cronus, across the room, attempting to flatten his dark curly hair with his hands using a window as a mirror. Kankri cannot help but stare at the back of the taller man's head for a moment. He cannot begin to understand why Cronus is being so self conscious all of a sudden. His hair looks good right now. He can admit that it is strange compared to the way that he normally sees the other, but in no way is it bad.

"Cronus?"

The other man jumps slightly at the sudden mention of his name. He straightens up and turns to face Kankri. His eyes are wide and his mouth gapes open slightly until he slowly lets a familiar smirk come over his face. "Hey, Kan," he says with a grin, "What up with our bros?"

The shorter man sighs quietly, though he is grateful for Cronus being seemingly back to normal for now. "They wanted to finish their movie," he explains, "Would you mind if I stay here while they do so?"

"No, of course I don't mind," Cronus says as he pushes up an even wider grin. "Sooo," he draws out mischievously, "I guess you and me are getting some alone time?" Cronus chuckles to himself and winks over at the shorter man.

Suddenly, Kankri is not so thankful for Cronus being back to normal. His face heats up in a blush and he shakes his head quickly. "No," he huffs stubbornly, "That is not what is happening here."

Cronus plops down on the recliner by the window, sitting back and relaxing as he laughs at Kankri's expense. "You sure, angelface?" he asks slyly, "Cuz that is exactly what it seems like."

"Positive," Kankri reassures bluntly, walking into the living room and sitting on the couch, facing Cronus. He does not know if he will be able to cope with thirty minutes of Cronus's meaningless flirting. He sighs quietly and shakes his head, looking out the apartment window and staring out at the street. He frowns as he tries to think of something relevant to talk about. His eyes flit back toward Cronus, glancing over his attire, eyes locking onto the Harry Potter shirt.

The shorter man smiles at the shirt for a moment. He did not know that Cronus was a fan of the Harry Potter series. On instinct, he opens his mouth to compliment the shirt, before closing it quickly in realization that Cronus may not actually read or watch Harry Potter. He decides that it is something Cronus would do: wear a shirt from a franchise that he has no interest in. Perhaps the older teen did not even realize that the quote on his shirt was from a book. Cronus could have just as well picked out the shirt thinking that it was just a perverted joke.

_That seems much more likely than Cronus actually being interested in Harry Potter. _Kankri thinks.

"You do know that that is a quote from a book, correct?"

Cronus 's smile fades for a moment at the question. He looks down at his shirt with furrowed eyebrows. Why would he wear this sort of shirt if he did not know what the quote was from? Did Kankri think that he was some sort of poser?

He looks back to Kankri with a serious face. "Are you kidding me?" he asks incredulously, sounding slightly offended. He scrambles quickly for something more to say, and ends up cutting Kankri off before he can say anything in response. "The password was Alohomora."

Kankri's mouth gapes open in surprise slightly as he tries to wrap his mind around what Cronus had said. Surely, Cronus, the same person who constantly refers to Kankri as a 'nerd' because of his interests, was not actually interested in this series. Maybe he had just happened to watch the movies at some point and remembered that line. Even so, it was interesting that he even liked the series at all.

"My apologies," Kankri rushes out, face red from embarrassment. "So you are a fan of the movies?" he asks with a slight smile.

The only people that knew about his obsession were the people in his close family, mostly because Eridan loved it too, and his cousins. He had stopped being so open with his interest in it due to Meenah and her best friend Aranea making fun of Cronus for it for the longest time after they had found out.

Cronus stares over at the shorter man. He is already regretting letting the other teen know that he was interested in this series. He had spent too much time and effort in trying to appear cool in front of Kankri to throw it all out the window now. He supposes that he could just place the blame on his little brother being obsessed with it, but as soon as he opens his mouth to say this, he changes his mind and says quietly, "Well... Yeah but I mean, they really didn't do the books justice, ya know?"

And there Cronus sat, messy hair and unflattering, baggy clothes. He smiles without a care to anything else and finally lets a glimpse of honesty peak through the heavy facade that he tries so hard to keep intact.

* * *

_**Allow me to take up this space in order to;**_  
_**1) Shamelessly promote my Nachoshipping fic that I just started. It's called Momentum and it's a college au. Also almost no one is reading it...**_  
_**and 2) beg for more reviews. Please. (and more fanart if you're bored. :3)**_  
_**Sorry that this chapter is so short. School started up again and I figured that shorter chapters were better than... No chapters...**_


	17. Chapter 17

"Ow," Eridan whines at the slight pull on his hair. "Be careful, Cro!" The blonde huffs in complaint.

"I am being careful," Cronus says, rolling his eyes a bit at the protest from his younger sibling. He moves the pick of the comb through Eridan's hair to separate a section of his bangs from the rest of his naturally blonde hair.

"W-well be more careful then!" the blond huffs and moves his hands down to grip the seat of the chair. He grimaces, baring his teeth at every pull.

Eridan sits in a kitchen chair wearing only a pair of purple shorts and an old white tank top that he would not mind ruining with hair dye. His brother stood behind him, wearing a pair of plastic gloves and working on straightening out the bit of hair that Eridan wanted to be dyed purple again.

It was long past time for him to re-dye his hair. The purple dye was only meant to keep its color for two weeks before it began to fade. It has been a month since the coloring had been applied; since then it has faded to a very pale shade of purple and his roots could be seen clearly.

"Dan, I don't gotta do this at all," Cronus reminds his brother with a slight smile. "Just hold still." Cronus clips the light purple hair into a small loop before reaching over for something from the countertop.

"You do have to do it," Eridan insists, fidgeting in his seat and turning his head to watch his brother, "You said you would almost two weeks ago but you never did."

It was true. Eridan has been pestering his brother almost nonstop since the two week mark had hit. He did not want the color in his hair to fade at all, and the fact that it was so uneven and faded now made Eridan wish he had pushed for them to dye it sooner.

Cronus rolls his eyes as he picks up the bottle of bright purple dye, shaking it for a moment before popping the top off of it. "I don't have to," he laughs and walks back over to his brother, "Dad's already pissed that I'm doing this for you."

Eridan had always wanted to dye his hair. He had begged his parents to let him over and over again. While his mom had been willing to let him do whatever he wanted, their dad had always pulled the "As long as you live under my house, you will follow my rules" card.

Eridan stays quiet for a minute as he feels his brother unclip his bangs and begin to squirt some of the bright, thick dye into his hair. He frowns across the kitchen at the window at the other side of the living room.

"Does he want us to come back?" he asks in a quiet, unsure voice.

This causes Cronus to stop his movements, frowning down at the top of his brother's head. "Of course he does, Dan," he replies quietly, starting to rework the dye through his brother's hair gently, "You know how he is though. Mom too... I mean... She wants you to go back home."

Eridan looks down at his lap guiltily. He knew that his mom really did want him to come home, but he also knew that she did not care if Cronus came home with him or not.

"You never told me what happened," Eridan says, stating a fact rather plainly and fidgeting slightly as Cronus works the dye through his hair. He thinks back to the night that his brother had woken him up with a bleeding forehead, telling him to pack his things.

"It doesn't matter, Dan," Cronus narrows his eyes slightly, trying to ignore his little brother's prying.

Eridan gulps quietly before taking in a slow breath, trying to consider how he should go about asking his brother the next question. It was one that has been weighing on his mind ever since that night. "Did-" he begins, then goes quiet for another moment, not wanting to upset his brother or bring up something that he shouldn't. "Did he hit you?" he finally manages to ask, frowning as he notices his brother go completely still behind him.

Cronus did not want to answer this. He did not even want to think about it. It was bad enough that it happened, but he did not want his brother to think of their dad differently because of it. "Yeah," Cronus says quietly before adding on quickly, "He didn't mean to or anything. It was just a mistake."

Eridan frowns and looks downward. He did not want to believe that his Dad would really do something like that, but the jagged scar on his older brother's forehead was plenty of proof. "What happened though?" he asks.

Cronus narrows his eyes slightly and squirts a bit more dye into his brother;s hair. "Don't worry about it right now, Dan," he insists, continuing to work some of the dye into Eridan's hair before reaching over for a bit of tin foil from the countertop. The room goes quiet once again as Cronus carefully wraps the streak of purple hair into a piece of tinfoil.

"When are we going home?" Eridan asks curiously. It is not as if he was in a rush to go home, but he wanted to know nonetheless.

"Whenever they get themselves sorted out," Cronus says quietly. Their parents fight almost anytime that they are near each other. It is strange that their mom could hate their dad so much, but still not file for a divorce. What is even worst is that their dad will not admit that there is even a problem with their marriage. He ignores it, often saying that they are just going through a rough spot, or that their fights are not as serious as the two siblings think that they are.

"Are they going to get a divorce?" Eridan asks in a small voice, one that almost makes Cronus want to tell him no.

"I don't know, Dan," he tells his brother honestly, "It's either that or go to therapy... I'm trying to convince Dad to sign up for it... He just... Won't listen." Cronus finishes wrapping the streak of hair, stepping back and setting the bottle down on the counter as he takes off the plastic gloves. "All done. Now you jus' gotta wait thirty minutes."

The blonde grins and turns in his seat, pulling out his phone and using the front facing camera as a mirror, "Thanks Cro," he smiles brightly at his older brother, wiping a bit of purple dye from his forehead.

"No problem," Cronus grins slightly, tossing the gloves into the trashcan and then moving to wash his hands in the sink.

"You know," Eridan begins, fidgeting with his hands slightly and turning to face his brother better, "I like it here."

"Oh really?" Cronus asks with a tone of disinterest.

"Yeah," the blonde continues, "I actually have friends here... I mean... Well I have Karkat." He forces a quiet laugh and looks away. "So I mean... If we went back home, I wouldn't be able to see him anymore... And then I wouldn't have any friends again." Eridan pouts slightly at the thought as he stands up, moving to get his glasses from atop the counter by the fridge.

Cronus smiles slightly, relieved that Eridan was not miserable away from home. He is glad that Eridan has made a friend and is slightly impressed at how close the two boys have gotten over the past month.

Eridan thinks back to the other day when Karkat had come over and they had discussed their brothers. He really thought that Cronus and Kankri would have been cute together, and Karkat sure wanted it to happen. He remembers Karkat telling him to figure out more about the girl that Cronus has been seeing and clears his throat.

"Besides," he continues hesitantly, "If we went back home you couldn't see your girlfriend anymore either."

The older brother turns off the sink and grabs a hand towel, beginning to dry his hands. Once what his little brother said sinks in, he freezes. "Girlfriend? What girlfriend?"

Eridan puts his glasses on, being careful to not mess up his hair. "That Damara girl that you went to the movies with last weekend." Eridan turns and leans on the counter, frowning across the room at his brother.

Cronus stares down at the young freckled boy before shaking his head and laughing. "What? You're kidding right?" he laughs, holding his stomach slightly, "Me and Megido aren't dating."

Eridan feels his stomach sink slightly, "You aren't?" he asks in disbelief.

"No way!" Cronus chuckles. "I mean, she's hot and hilarious as fuck, but we're just friends," he insists, shaking his head. "She's got her eyes set on some other poor guy," he explains.

Eridan frowns before his lips form into a silent oh. "That makes sense," he says, looking down and slightly ashamed. "Sorry." It then occurs to him that he had accidentally lied to his best friend. "Um... I'm going to go wait in my room. Thanks again for helping me Cro!" He turns and heads down the hall, calling the last bit over his shoulder at his older brother.

He had to text Karkat before the other child did something stupid.

* * *

_***Shamelessly promoting my Nachoshipping fic that I just started* It's called Momentum and it's a college au. Also almost no one is reading it. DirkJake is a major side pairing so plese go check it out!**_

_**Also! I have cover art now! :D It was drawn by lemon-yu-lemon on tumblr! What do you guys think of it? **_

_**Also Also Please leave a review. It'll only take a second and they mean the world to me. I want to hear more from you guys. **_  
_**What do you look forward to seeing in the upcoming chapters? How could I make this fic better?**_


	18. Chapter 18

Kankri smiles down at his phone screen fondly, typing out a quick response to his friend.

_Yes, of course. That sounds nice. I will meet you then._

"Kankri?" a slightly strained voice comes from the doorway, causing the redhead to look up to see his brother standing in the door frame of the living room.

"Yes Karkat?" the older brother gets off of the couch and stands up, making his way toward his younger sibling.

Karkat crosses his arms and looks up at his brother with knit eyebrows, "What are you smiling about?" he asks suspiciously, only to be waved off by the red haired teen. Karkat rolls his eyes slightly at the smile on his brother's face before asking, "Are you going to come make dinner yet?"

"Karkat, that was rude," the older of the two says sternly as he walks past his brother toward the kitchen, "I told you that I was planning on making dinner. You're being awfully impatient this evening."

"Sorry," the dark haired child grumbles, following closely behind his older brother. Once they arrive in the kitchen, Karkat sits up on a stool and watches Kankri begin to work, pulling out all of the necessary supplies to make a boxed dinner.

"What do you need, Karkat?" the older brother asks with a sigh after a few minutes of silence between the two of them while he was working.

"What do you mean, what do I want?" Karkat rocks back and forth on the stool, watching his brother for a few minutes.

"You're lingering," the teenager explains. "Usually you do not stay in the same room with me for so long without talking unless you want something," Kankri states plainly, casting a glance over at his brother as he sprays cooking oil into the casserole dish in front of him.

"I don't want anything," the preteen grumbles quietly, looking off to the side. He knew he had to ease Kankri into the conversation slowly, or the older sibling would dismiss the topic quickly. "So... You and Cronus were getting along pretty well on Friday," he starts hesitantly.

Kankri rolls his eyes slightly as he fills the dish with the contents of the box. "Karkat, what are you talking about?" The red haired teen shakes his head in disbelief. It is almost once a week now that Karkat brings up the subject of Cronus Ampora. It is pretty easy to tell that the younger Vantas is trying to set the two of them up, likely due to his obsession with romantic stories. But Kankri cannot understand why his brother has been so eager for the two teens to become romantically involved.

"What?" the brunette says with a small huff, "You seemed really happy when you guys were talking about your lame wizard stuff."

Kankri furrows his eyebrows slightly at the idea of one of his favorite book series being called lame, but calms himself down before responding. "Is it so unheard of for me to have a common interest with someone else?" he questions, casting a glance over at his sibling.

"Yes!" Karkat exclaims, crossing his arms, "You never get along that well with anyone. Unless it's Porrim.

"Kartkat, I do not see the point that you appear to be trying to make," Kankri directs his attention on his brother as he speaks, only to turn and walk to the sink to fill a measuring cup with water before the other can elaborate.

The middle schooler narrows his eyes, becoming frustrated with how his brother seems to be oblivious to the question that he is asking. "Do you like him?" he finally asks bluntly, staring at the messy red hair on the back of his brother's head.

Kankri's hand slips against the cup of water in his hands for a moment at the suddenness of the question. Usually when the topic of Cronus was approached by Karkat, it was in a much less direct way. He stares down at his hands, watching the water pour out of the now full glass and over his fingers. He does not answer for a moment as he turns off the water and levels out the glass to the amount of water that the back of the box had specified.

"I-" he begins, trying to choose his words carefully, "I consider Cronus to be my friend. I appreciate his company." Part of him wonders if he should tell his brother about his text messages with Cronus from not an hour ago, but oddly he feels as though it is not any of his little brother's business, so he keeps it to himself.

"But do you like like him?" Karkat pushes, leaning forward slightly. He knew the answer to this question of course, but he felt as though Kankri did not know the answer himself.

"Karkat that isn't even a thing," the older sibling chastises his younger brother, "Do you not have some homework that you could be doing right now?" Kankri asks, pouring the water into the casserole dish.

Karkat grumbles quietly at the dismissal from his brother. If only there was a way to make his brother see that waiting around for the other teen would not help. He knows there must be something he can do to make Kankri take the initiative to start a relationship with Cronus.

"Yeah, fine," Karkat says, hopping off of the stool, "I just wasn't sure if you wanted to like... Talk about your feelings or something."

"There isn't anything to talk about," the older sibling shakes his head slightly, glancing at his brother.

"I don't get why you'd say that?" the dark haired boy grumbles, "If you don't put forth any effort then he's going to keep dating that Damara girl."

At that, Kankri freezes, turning on his little brother quickly. "Cronus and Damara are not dating," he says slowly, not sounding completely certain himself. His eyebrows are knitted together and his eyes are narrowed slightly.

It is almost enough for Karkat to back down and change the subject, but he knows that his brother needs to hear this, or else he might not have the motivation to make his move on Cronus. After all, that is how it works in the movies. "Yes, they are," he insists, "Eridan was telling me how they went to dinner and to see a movie last weekend."

Kankri's face immediately falls into one of despair, and his brother wonders for a moment if he did something wrong. The brunette waits for a response for a minute, and upon not receiving one, promptly turns and exits the room.

Kankri cannot believe what his brother had said. After all this, he thought Cronus was actually a decent person. The emotions that run through his mind seem slightly reminiscent of sadness, anger, even betrayal. They all well up inside of him until he feels his eyes beginning to sting.

It only takes him about a minute to finish putting the dish into the oven to bake and set the timer. With that, he is heading to his room quickly, rubbing at his eyes. As soon as he gets there, he plops down on his bed, pulling out his cell phone.

The red head thinks back for a moment to when Porrim had warned him to be apprehensive of the older teen, and at this point, he wishes that he had listened. Even with all the terrible things that Porrim has said about Cronus, he seriously thought that cheating would be below him.

Kankri curls up on his bed, wiping at his eyes quickly before looking down at the most recent conversation on his phone.

_Wait, Cronus, excuse me if this seems too forward in my asking. But when you say that you'd like to get dinner with me, I'm I correct in assuming that you mean for this to be a date?_

_Seriously Kan? Haha Yeah I thought I made that pretty obvious. I mean, it doesn't have to be if you don't want._

_Actually... I think that I would very much enjoy that._

_Sweet... So how about Tuesday after your debate team meeting? We can meet up at Chilis around 5?_

_Yes, of course. That sounds nice. I will meet you then._

* * *

**_Time for a trainwreck. Thanks for being patient with me while I slowly wheel out chapters. I've been so painfully busy...  
_**

_**Please leave a review to let me know what you think! :D an if you want to pay a visit to my blog, writingonprospt, on tumblr, I'd be very grateful. Under the fanart tag, there are a few really good pieces for this fic drawn by Lemon-yu-Lemon, and a few from other artist. Please check them out if you can!** _


	19. Chapter 19

Cronus's fingers drum absently at the table top, tapping out no particular rhythm. His chin rests in the heel of one of his hands with his elbow propped up on the table. He is growing nervous as the time goes on, glancing between the restaurant's entrance and the time on his phone screen. A lasting frown has set in across his face.

It's half past five now.

Kankri should have been here thirty minutes ago. It was not like him to be late. Ever. He was always early. He was early to school in the mornings. He was early to pick his brother up when Karkat and Eridan were hanging out. He was always early.

Cronus sits up straight for a moment before slumping back against the cheap cushioning of the Chilli's booth. He sighs out slowly and runs his fingers through his slicked, black hair in frustration. His hand latches onto his phone and pulls it closer to look at the time for the third time in the past two minutes. He slides the screen to unlock his phone to view his and Kankri's conversation.

_Sweet... So how about Tuesday after your debate team meeting? We can meet up at Chilis around 5?_

_Yes, of course. That sounds nice. I will meet you then._

_Hey Kan, I'm here._

_Kan?_

_I'll go ahead in and get us a table._

_Are you running late?_

_Kan?_

Cronus huffs quietly and shuts his eyes for a minute, before taking another sip from his drink on the table.

Cronus had seen Kankri at school. He saw him while walking between classes. Though he was small, he was somehow hard to miss with his bright orange hair and vivid red sweater. The dark haired teen knew that Kankri had been at school, but other than the brief glimpses in the hallways, Cronus had not seen much of the smaller teen. Their lunch table had been surprisingly empty that day. Neither Kankri nor Porrim had been there and not even Aranea seemed to know where the two of them had gone.

Cronus stares at his phone screen for a minute as if he can will Kankri to text him back, which obviously has not worked yet.

He shakes his head and opens up a new conversation with Damara.

_Hey_

It is not long until she is messaging him back

_What're you doing texting me? Aren't you on a date?_

He glances at the door again.

_Kankri isn't here yet... He's running pretty late. I'm worried._

_Mr. Insufferable is late to something? What time was he suppose to be there?_

Cronus looks to the top right of his phone screen for the time. It's almost five forty-five now.

_Over half an hour ago. Do you think something came up?_

_I don't know Cronus. He and Maryam stayed after school for something. I saw them when I was leaving after anime club. They drove off together._

Cronus frowns down at the screen of his phone, running his hand through his hair again and messing it up a little, not bothering to fix it. He finally looks down again when he feels his phone buzz with a new message from Damara.

_You want to meet me somewhere if he doesn't show up?_

Kankri was almost an hour late to their first date, and the thought had not even crossed Cronus's mind that the redhead did not plan on showing up. He thought that the two of them had been getting along really well in the past few days. Over text, Kankri seemed happy to be meeting him here today. But now, with Cronus sitting alone at the restaurant and Kankri not messaging him back, the realization begins to dawn on him that he had been stood up.

He pushes his soda further onto the table away from him and folds his arms on the table to rest his head down. He does not know how long he stays like that for, but he does not pick his head up until he feels a hand rest on his shoulder lightly.

For a second, the touch gives him hope. He thinks that it must be Kankri, here to tell him that he is sorry that he is late and that he could not text Cronus back for one reason or another. But when he sits up and looks at up to the person who touched his shoulder, he sees it is just his waitress from earlier.

"Honey, are you alright?" The women appears concerned, the heavily applied makeup on her face is pushed into a worried frown.

The teenager's heart sinks slightly and he nods quickly. "I'm okay... Can I get a check for the drink?" he asks, avoiding looking at the women standing next to him.

"Don't worry about it. It's covered," she says with a kind, yet solemn smile, "Why don't you head home and get some rest?"

Cronus stares at the table for a minute as she walks away and then stands up with a sigh, grabbing his phone and making his way out of the restaurant. Once he is outside, he reaches into his jacket pocket for his pack of cigarettes and lights one up,taking a long drag from it as he walks through the parking lot. He glances down at his phone, remembering that he had not responded to the message from Damara.

_No... Sorry Dam... Maybe some other time... I think I'm just going to go home._

It was a little past six now. He had been waiting in the restaurant for over an hour in desperation, for someone that did not plan on showing up. He grimaces at the thought of how pathetic he must have looked, sitting there alone for so long.

He is frustrated, upset, betrayed, and he feels like a complete idiot. Before he gets in his car, he tosses his cigarette onto the cement ground of the parking lot, stepping on it to put it out.

Once he is in the driver's seat he buckles up, then feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. It takes him a minute to fish out the device. He checks the caller ID which reads "Dad."

_Great_, he thinks as he presses the accept call button, _As if tonight could get any worst._

* * *

**_Sorry for taking forever to update.. I really don't have any drive to write this story at the moment. The only thing that's helping is knowing that I have so many followers who are waiting for new updates. Sorry for being slow. The chapters are probably going to be getting a little shorter since I'm so busy lately. _**

**_Thank you all for reading and please leave a comment, they really make this whole thing worth while._**


	20. Chapter 20

"Do you want to tell me what's wrong now?"

Kankri keeps his eyes closed tight, not responding to his friend's question. His head rests in her lap, feeling her long slender fingers run through his hair gently.

"Kanny?" Porrim says in a quiet voice, leaning her head down a bit to look down at the small teen. She was worried for her friend. There is not a moment where she can recall him ever acting like this. Usually if he got this upset it was because of someone at school being mean to him, which was generally easy for him to get over, and he was always open with telling his best friend what had happened.

Porrim knew something was off the minute that Kankri had entered the school building. He had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep. When Porrim approached him he did not talk to her, which resulted in them walking to class together in silence.

When lunch came around, Porrim entered the cafeteria to find that Kankri was not sitting at their usual table. Five minutes later she found him sitting in the library, reading a book at one of the tables. She did not ask him what was wrong, but she was able to convince him to share half of her salad.

When they had their debate club meeting, Kankri did not even participate. Usually when a topic of discussion is presented, Kankri was ready to do the necessary research and speak out against the opposing team. Today however, Kankri was hardly able to keep up with the topic of discussion, leaving Porrim to carry the debate for their team. It was after this that Porrim decided that Kankri did not need to be alone today. She texted her mom during the meeting and let her know that the Vantas brothers would be staying with them tonight.

When the meeting had come to a close, Kankri was the first out of the room followed quickly by the tan girl.

"Kankri," she said quickly as she followed him down the hall.

He did not turn to look at her as he spoke. "What is it, Porrim?" His hands were clutching tightly at a book in his arms as he made his way down the hall toward his locker. When he reaches his locker, he unlocks it hurriedly while grabbing his bag and a couple more books from the shelf before reaching to pick his car keys off of the hook on the locker door.

Before his fingers reach the keys, a tan and finely manicured hand takes them from their place on the hook.

"Porrim, give me my keys at once," his eyebrows furrow and he scowls as he turns to face her, hand reaching out for them.

"Why?" she asks with a frown, "You're coming with me anyway." She clutches Kankri's car keys in the palm of her hand, holding them behind her back.

"Porrim, that is ridiculous, I need to go home," he cannot help but stutter quietly as he speaks, trying to hold himself together.

"Kankri, You're upset. You can't drive like this anyway, you know that." She brushes a long strand of silky black hair behind her ear, then slides her friend's keys into his pocket.

At that moment, the redhead feels too overwhelmed to make an intelligent retort. He knew Porrim was trying to help, but he was so frustrated. Not only with her, but with his dad, with Cronus, and especially with himself.

"Don't tell me what I can't do!" He surprises himself with the volume of his own voice. He watches as Porrim's face turns to one of complete shock. "Just give me my damn keys!" his voice breaks as he says this, and he feels his eyes stinging with the tears welling up in them.

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, he feels Porrim's arms pulling him close into a tight embrace. He feels one hand going to the back of his head to hold it to her shoulder, and the other around his back to keep him close.

"No. Kankri, it's okay," She is holding tight to him and babbling out apologies and telling him that everything is going to be okay.

The redhead did not realize that he was shaking until he was in his friend's embrace. His hands went behind her to clench at the back of her shirt as he cries into her shoulder. He holds tight to his friend, crying into her shoulder for a few minutes and trying to calm down.

Porrim runs her fingers gently through her friend's hair, hushing him quietly. She waits for his breathing to calm down before pulling away gently to kiss his forehead. "Come on Kanny," she says softly, "We'll stop by your house and get Karkat. You two can pack a bag and stay the night with us tonight." She did not push for an explanation then. She simply wrapped an arm around Kankri's waist and led him out of the school building.

Now, Kankri lies on Porrim's bed with her. His head still lays in her lap with his eyes closed.

They had already eaten dinner for the night, which Mrs. Maryam had made for them, and gotten washed up for bed. Karkat and Kanaya, Porrim's younger sister, are in the living room watching a movie together.

"I don't know where to start," Kankri says as he finally opens his eyes, staring up at his friend tiredly.

Porrim had not asked any more questions about what was wrong with Kankri until now. Of course she had been worried about him all day, but she was trying to give him a bit of time to calm down. Even now she waits patiently for him to gather his thoughts, carding her long fingers through his hair.

"Dad's not going to be home for Christmas," he says quietly, shutting his eyes again. "He called me late last night and told me."

Porrim frowns and reaches a hand down to squeeze Kankri's hand gently. "Kankri," she says softly, "I'm so sorry, dear."

"I haven't told Karkat yet," he explains, "I'll tell him before the next time we Skype with dad but- I couldn't deal with it last night."

The young woman holds Kankri's hand tightly, running her thumb gently over the back of it. "Is that the only thing that happened?" She did not mean to seem as though this was wont a big issue, but she was doubtful that this was the only reason for Kankri's outburst earlier.

The freckled boy is silent for a minute before speaking quietly. "No," he says, muffling his voice a little into Porrim's lap.

He did not want to talk about Cronus right now. He felt so stupid for actually thinking that Cronus was interested in him. It was so frustrating to know that they had been getting along so well, only for him to now know that Cronus was seeing someone else.

He sits up and reaches off the side of the bed to grab his bag, digging in it to find his cell phone. He had turned it off after his dad called last night and had not bothered to turn it back on until now. As soon as the phone is on, it buzzes with several new messages from Cronus, making his stomach drop.

_Hey Kan, I'm here._

_Kan?_

_I'll go ahead in and get us a table._

_Are you running late?_

_Kan?_

He frowns and opens the conversation with Cronus before handing the phone quickly to Porrim.

She scrolls up a bit in the conversation before reading down the text messages, a hard scowl coming across her face when she sees who the messages are from. Then her expression softens as she reads on. "Kankri?" she asks softly, "Why didn't you go?"

The smaller teen keeps his head lowered as he curls up beside the girl next to him. "He doesn't actually like me," Kankri says bitterly.

"Why would you say that Kankri, you don't know tha-"

"He's been going on dates with Damara," he says, cutting her off quickly, "Cronus's little brother told Karkat and Karkat told me."

It is not as if Porrim was very fond of Cronus in the first place. She had met him before he moved to their town, at a party that Meenah was throwing where Cronus proceeded to, quite pathetically, hit on absolutely everyone there. Even when Porrim had told him that she was not interested in men, he went on to tell her how he was not like all men and that she would not know until she gave him a shot. In short, Porrim did not like Cronus. Even though he seemed to have changed since she last met him, she was not surprised that he was doing this now.

"Kankri," she says softly, wrapping an arm around him, "I'm so sorry that this happened. He doesn't deserve you, Kanny." She turns to her side slightly to kiss his forehead and then his cheek comfortingly. "He's such an asshole."

* * *

_**PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!**_

_**Okay... This fic is now my priority... I've been writing it on and off for way too long and I really need to some of the more plot heavy parts. We're going to learn more about Cronus and his family, and Kankri's parents, and maybe Cro and Kan will get together sometime soon... Eventually. **_

_**But hey! Chapter twenty! Were... Probably only about halfway done ._. Sorry for taking so long to update all the time...**_

_**PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW**_


	21. Chapter 21

Kankri knows he can not avoid Cronus forever. Yesterday he had done a pretty good job of steering clear of the other teen's path, but today as he walks through the halls between classes, he cannot seem to avoid the other man. He has seen Cronus at least three times today despite his attempts to avoid him. As his fourth period class ends, the redhead hurries down the hall, wanting to get to the cafeteria to pick up his lunch before the other teen gets there.

He walks quickly down the hall, being careful as to not bump into any of the other students who are racing toward the lunch room. When he turns the corner though, he finds himself bumping right into the chest of a taller man. He stumbles backwards, losing his grip on his notebook as it goes falling to the ground. His arm comes up blindly, searching for anything to grasp onto, and he manages to cling to the wrist of someone whose hand has grabbed the front of his sweater. This all seems too familiar to him, and he feels his stomach drop.

When he looks up, he is not surprised to see Cronus right in front of him, holding onto his sweater.

They both hold still for a moment, staring at each other with unreadable expressions before the taller man finally starts to speak. "Kan," he starts, "Listen-"

"Don't, Cronus."

Cronus's eyes widen in surprise at the hostile tone in the other's voice. He stands still as Kankri kneels down to begin picking up his papers. Suddenly, the anger that has been building up for the past few days rises to the surface. This is the first time Kankri has said anything to him since the weekend. Kankri _humiliated_ him by standing him up, and now all he is mad at Cronus?

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Cronus narrows his eyes, staring down at Kankri as the redhead looks up at him with an equally mad expression.

"Kidding you?" Kankri snatches his papers off the ground, not even bothering to straighten them out before shoving them into his binder and standing up. He practically hisses as he speaks, "Why are you even talking to me anymore? I'm not interested in your shit."

The taller of the two feels as though he should be surprised with the normally well spoken boy's language, but he cannot seem to focus on it given the situation. "Yeah," Cronus raises his voice slightly, irritation evident, "You made that pretty fucking clear when you stood me up Tuesday night."

"Wh-" Kankri's face pales before his eyebrows knit together and he clenches his fist, "Y- Don't you even go there!"

"Why the hell not?!" He's beginning to notice that he may be fussing too loudly. "I waited for you for over an hour! You didn't even let me know that you weren't interested! Did you just want to see how long I'd wait?!"

"You know that's not it!" Kankri is yelling back now, stomping his foot in frustration, "I know about you and Damara! What made you think I was stupid enough to go out with some guy who was trying to cheat on his girlfriend!"

Cronus steps forward slightly out of anger, ready to yell back at the shorter man, but before he can say anything there is a set of hurried footsteps making their way toward the two.

"Hey!" a teacher shouts as he steps between Cronus and Kankri, "Drop it! Now! Or you'll both be going to the office."

The two glare at each other from over the teacher's shoulder. Cronus feels the teacher's hand touch his arm and he immediately pulls away. He walks past the man, glaring at Kankri as he passes him and grumbling out quietly, "I'm not dating Damara," before heading down the hall toward the exit.

Kankri barely hears the teacher ask if he is okay as he watches the other walk away. Cronus was not trying to cheat on anyone? He stood Cronus up? The realization hits Kankri hard that they really needs to talk these things out. So without answering the teacher, he holds on tighter to his binder and runs after the other man.

"Cronus," He says a bit breathlessly as he tries to catch up to the taller man's strides.

Cronus keeps his eyes narrowed as he walks down the hall, swinging the door to the parking lot open and stepping out into the chilly air. Kankri thought that Cronus was going to cheat on someone with him. Kankri _assumed _that Cronus was that kind of person. And instead of asking about it he decided to stand him up without explanation.

Cronus needs a cigarette.

"Cronus, please, we need to talk about this!"

The other hears the smaller man following behind him, but he cannot be bothered to talk to him anymore. He was too mad.

"Please! I'm sorry!"

Cronus grits his teeth as he approaches his truck, pulling the driver's door open and sliding into the seat. He needed to go. He needed to get back to his apartment so that he could calm down.

Kankri's eyes widen even more as he realizes that Cronus plans to drive away. He knew that the other man should not drive in that state. So without a second thought, he takes off running. The cold air whips at his skin as he hurried toward the black truck and before he registers what he is doing, he opens the passenger side and climbs in.

"What the hell are you doing?! Get out of my truck!" Cronus yells angrily.

"Please don't go!" Kankri yells over the other's voice. He feels his eyes burning with tears and he is practically shaking. Before Cronus can ask another question the smaller teen is continuing, "You- You cannot drive like this! You don't have to talk to me but please don't leave yet! You can't drive when your-"

"Fucking watch me! Get the hell out of my car!" Cronus slams his hand on his steering wheel angrily.

"You can't drive while you're angry or you're going to get into a wreck and die!"

It is all too familiar to him. He remembers hearing his parents arguing in the front seat of the car. His father yelling. His mother begging him to pull the car over to the side of the road. Squealing tires. His arms wrapping around his baby brother. A crash. A fire. A hospital.

Kankri was sobbing, body shaking uncontrollably. He could not catch his breath and his vision was becoming blurry. He faintly hears Cronus say something unrecognizable. His hands are prying at the door handle but he cannot quite seem to get it open. He needs air.

Finally he manages to open the car door and stumble out of the car just as he fall forward, his vision going black.

* * *

_**Sorry for the wait. Thank you all for bearing with me. **_

_**Please leave me a comment and let me know what you think? Maybe tell me what you're hoping to see in future chapters? **_

_**If you want to talk to me my tumblr is wakingonprospit (my main) or writingonprospit (fanfic blog)**_


	22. Chapter 22

The clearest thing in his memory is the fire. He remembered feeling the heat against his skin. Smoke rushing into his nose, eyes, and mouth. He could remember unbuckling himself quickly, then sliding across the seat to pull his little brother from his safety seat. He could still feel his body shaking with coughs as his body fought to remove the smoke and ash from his lungs. He held his young brother to his chest with one arm as he tried to open the car door with the other. Seeing as the door was jammed shut he began banging on the window desperately, becoming weaker as time passed. Until finally, he heard the window glass shatter and felt two arms reach in and pull him from the smoke and fire.

He was carried away from the wreckage, holding his sibling close and screaming out to his parents who were still trapped in the burning car. He cried and kicked frantically as his brother was pulled from his arms before being strapped to a table and wheeled into a large white car.

It was not until they were on the way to the hospital that he began feeling the pain. His whole body was burning and for a moment he wondered if it was possible for him to still be in fire. He could hear his brother crying somewhere to his right along with a couple of paramedics who were using a lot of words and phrases that Kankri did not quite understand yet.

"Dead on impact."

"Terminal injuries."

"Second and third degree burns."

It felt as though it took hours for them to reach the hospital. The whole time Kankri had been in and out on consciousness. Time was moving too quickly. For the next week, everything seemed to be blurring past him.

The next thing he remembered was sitting in his mother's hospital room with his little brother and a nurse that had been looking after them. Kankri's arms and legs had to be kept in bandages. Up and down his limbs were bright red blisters and a few patches of black scabs. He was told that they would eventually heal, but that he could have slight scarring for the rest of his life.

Their father was dead. He did not even make it out of the car. Kankri cried when he heard the news, but by now he was too tired to cry.

It had been a week and his mother still had not woken up. Her skin was badly charred, red and black from burns and she had a strange tube that attached to her mouth and hooked up to a machine beside her bed. The nurse explained that the machine was there to help his mother breathe. There was another machine as well. This one let out a slow line of continuous beeps, which filled the silence of the room. He was told that she had extreme brain damage and that she would not make it. Now all they could do was sit and wait.

It was almost two weeks after the wreck. It was getting later in the evening and Karkat was sleeping on the cot that the nurses had set up in the corner of the room. Kankri was staring at the face of his mother, waiting for her to open her eyes when the beeping machine finally went silent.

Kankri's vision comes back slowly but still he is not prepared to move yet. He feels strangely safe where he sits now. Two strong arms are wrapped around him, holding him protectively.

"Kan?" A deep, far off voice calls out to him worriedly. "Kankri come on, don't make me call Maryam. Please."

It is then that he realizes where he is.

"Cronus," He says quietly, not bothering to open his eyes yet, "I'm sorry." He does not even have the energy to be humiliated at being held by the other man. He is worn out from the anxiety attack that he just experienced and his eyes are tired and swollen from crying. He slowly comes to realize that he is practically in the older teen's lap and that Cronus has draped his heavy leather jacket around Kankri's shoulders.

"Don't be," Cronus says quietly, still holding onto the red head, "You don't have anything to be sorry for. I shouldn't have yelled."

"Not that," Kankri lets his head rest tiredly against the other man's shoulder, which is something he would not think of doing under normal circumstances, especially after the fight they just had. "I mean... Yes that too but...I shouldn't have made that assumption about you and Damara. Karkat said that your brother told him that you two were a couple. I didn't know what to think. I should have confronted you about-"

"Kan," Cronus cuts him off, laughing quietly, "It's alright okay? We can talk about it more later if you want, alright? Let me just drive you home, okay?"

"I can't- I have to go to class-"

"You're exhausted Kan," Cronus says, cutting him off, "You won't be able to get any of your work done like this."

Kankri sighs out quietly and nods against his friend's shoulder, too tired to protest further.

"Just let me know when you're okay to get up, alright?" Cronus mutters, holding Kankri to keep him warm, not wanting to rush him into standing after he had practically collapsed a moment ago.

The smaller teen nods again, letting his eyes slide shut again as he tries to regulate his breathing. After a few minutes he carefully moves to his knees and then stands, followed quickly by Cronus who is opening the car door and helping him in.

"Mind if I take a quick smoke break?"

After getting a reluctant go ahead from Kankri, he makes sure the heater in his truck is on high before closing Kankri inside of it. Next he lights up a cigarette, breathing in the smoke from it slowly.

It is about two minutes later when he feels his phone buzz in his jean pocket. He quickly pulls it out, scowling at the caller ID before holding it to his ear. "Hello?"

"Cronus?" A deeper, slightly gruff voice replies from over the phone. He seems surprised that the man on the other end actually answered the phone. Which he should not be shocked considering he chewed Cronus out a few nights ago for ignoring his calls, so the teen had promised to stay in touch more. "Son, I-... How are you?"

The teen scowls slightly, glancing in the window of the truck to see his friend relaxing in the warmth of the car. "I'm... Okay?" Cronus was not quite sure how to respond to such a casual question from his father. "Look dad, I'm in between classes right now so can you make this quick?" he lied, wanting to skip the formalities in order to shorten their conversation.

"Oh, alright. Listen son, your mother and I have been trying to work things out. We started going back to therapy together. We're sorting everything out. We just want you boys to come back home."

Cronus frowns, eyes following the smoke from his cigarette as it dances upward into the air. They have been through this so many times at this point that Cronus was not even hopeful of the potential results. "Sure you are, dad." He did not doubt that his father wanted his sons to come home, but he knew that his parents therapy sessions were the equivalent of putting a band aid on a broken arm. "Listen, can we talk about this later tonight?"

"Of course, of course," his father can be heard on the other end of the line, shuffling around in his office, shifting in his desk chair and pushing papers around his desk, "I have a lot of work to do. I'll call again this evening."

"Yeah, okay," Cronus sighs quietly, taking one final drag of his cigarette, "talk to you then. Bye."

When the call ends, Cronus shoves the phone into his pocket. He watches as the ashes fall from the end of the cigarette, staring at them wistfully as they drift to the ground. After a moment, he lets the cigarette fall from between his fingers onto the ground. He steps on it to put out the embers, then turns to make his way back toward his truck.

* * *

**_I'm sorry for hurting Kankers but it had to happen._**

**_Thank you for reading though and it'd mean a lot if you left a comment!_**


	23. Chapter 23

Kankri's eyes open slowly, staring at the ceiling of his living room. They stay open for only a moment before sliding shut again.

He can hear shuffling around in his kitchen. Cabinets and drawers opening and closing, plates and silverware clinking as they are pulled from their designated areas. His senses go blank for a moment as he slides back into slumber. When he comes to again, he hears a set of heavy footsteps pacing back and forth somewhere to his left.

"Karkat," he mutters tiredly, "You know to take your shoes off in the house."

Cronus stops pacing, slicking back his hair with his hand and furrowing his eyebrows as he watches Kankri drift in and out of sleep. He had fallen asleep before Cronus had even gotten back into his truck from his smoke break and so Cronus had carefully carried the smaller man into his house and laid him down on the couch.

Now Kankri is curled up on the couch, hugging onto the jacket that Cronus had draped over his shoulders a while ago. His mouth is slightly open, no longer letting out the almost inaudible snores that he had been earlier. The older teen could not help but realize how peaceful the redhead looked.

"It's Cronus, Kan," he says quietly, not wanting to alarm his friend.

Kankri responds with a quiet groan, not opening his eyes. "Take your shoes off."

Cronus stares for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle and making his way toward the door to take off his boots, leaving them there neatly.

The smaller teen mumbles unrecognizably and turns his head to bury his face into the jacket he had been hugging onto, breathing in the faint scent of expensive cologne and smoke. Cronus.

Cronus.

Immediately, Kankri's eyes open and he is sitting up. "Cronus," he releases the other's jacket, letting it sit on the arm of the couch, "I'm so sorry-"

"Kankri," Cronus cuts him off as he comes closer. "Relax. We can talk about it later, yeah? Come on. Do you like Chinese food?" He smiles softly down at the teen on the couch, nodding toward the dining room.

The brown eyed teen stood up quickly, frowning a bit at Cronus. "Wait, you bought food?"

"Yeah," Cronus turns to walk into the dining room, followed quickly by the other teen. "You didn't get lunch yet, right? I'm sorry if you don't like Chinese food or something, I didn't want to wake you up just to ask what you wanted so... I got a bunch of different stuff."

On the dining room table sits several take out boxes of food, far too much for the two of them to eat by themselves.

"You shouldn't have done this," Kankri says, frowning at the idea of the other spending so much money on food for him, "Really, I would have been alright with- Wait. Cronus?"

"Hm?"

Kanrkri's eyebrows knit together in confusion and annoyance as he frowns, crossing his arms. "How did I get to the couch?" he asks, though he obviously already knows the answer.

"Well uh-" Cronus trails off quietly, trying to avoid looking at the other by busying himself with opening all of the takeout boxes, "Would it make you feel better if I said that you sleep walked?"

"No," Kankri scoffs quietly, "And how did you get into my house?"

The taller teen slouches a little, pulling out a chair for the other. "Kan, just give me a break alright? Would you rather me say I broke in or I went through your bag?"

The redhead huffs quietly, looking away for a moment before moving to sit in the chair that had been offered to him. "I don't want to argue anymore, Cronus."

Cronus's deep blue eyes widen slightly, somewhat surprised that Kankri had dropped the subject so quickly. He smiles slightly, scooting Kankri's chair in for him before moving to sit at the adjacent side of the table.

The two do not talk as they eat their food. The air is heavy with the uncomfortable silence between of them seem to take turns glancing up at the other as if they wanted the silence to end, but were waiting for the other to say something first. Then, toward the end of their meal, Cronus finally speaks up.

"I texted Eridan and told him to ride the bus home with Karkat. Is that alright?" he asks, glancing up at the re head nervously as he continues to push around the rice on his plate.

"What?" finally Kankri looks up to make eye contact with the other man, "Yes, that is fine Cronus."

"And um, I can swing back by here tomorrow morning if you need a ride, ya know?"

Kankri stay quiet for a moment, looking back down at his plate before setting his fork down. "Cronus?" he says the name quietly, moving both hands under the table to clasp them together tightly. "What are we doing?"

Cronus stares for a moment more before looking down, trying to find something to say. He did not know what they were doing. This morning he had thought that Kankri hated him, and that he had stood him up on purpose. But now he knows that it was all just a big mistake. That Kankri and him clearly were not on the same page. He knows that they can fix whatever was growing between them. He just is not sure how to go about doing any of that yet.

"We're eating lunch."

"That's not funny, Cronus," Kankri narrows his eyes a bit before allowing his expression to soften slowly. "I meant between us. I'm really sorry for making assumptions but I was just going off of what Karkat told me."

Cronus looks away, trying to think of why his brother's friend would have said something like that. "Nah, Kan," he says, "Me and Megido are just friends, alright?" At no response from the freckled teen, Cronus continues. "You do believe me don't you, Kan- Kankri? I mean, I waited for you for over an hour Tuesday."

"I believe you Cronus," Kankri says guiltily, "I should have asked you about it before deciding not to show up. I don't know why I got so upset. I just felt as though-" Kankri clenches his hands harder, lips turned down at the corners in disconcertion, "As though you were leading me on."

Kankri is taken aback for a moment at the laugh that escapes the other man's lips.

"You thought _I_ was leading _you_ on?"

"Cronus," Kankri warns with the tone of his voice, letting go of his hands in favor of crossing his arms over his chest once again.

"No, no, I'm not laughing at you or anything Kan," when the dark haired man looks back at Kankri it is with a kind smile on his face, "This was just a huge mix-up, yeah?"

The redhead blinks at the other, unsure of what to do for a moment before finding that it was difficult not to smile when Cronus was grinning like he was. He feels a sense of relief wash over him for a moment. "Yes," he says, letting his arms drop to his sides finally, "I suppose it was."

Kankri watches the other for a moment, smiling back at him softly as he makes up his mind. "Cronus? I would like to start over. Well, not entirely over but- do you think that we could reschedule that date?"

* * *

_**Ey! See I'm fixing things! Getting the ship together. You're welcome but the story still has a ways to go. We're approaching the next intermission too, That'll probably be chapter 26 I think. **_

_**Also if you can please leave a comment. I've been getting less and less feedback lately, especially on this site, and I can't tell if people still like reading this or not. But thank you so much for reading! :***_


	24. Chapter 24

"In our nature, however, there is a provision, alike marvelous and merciful, that the sufferer should never know the intensity of what he endures by its present torture, but chiefly by the pang that rankles after it. With almost a sere-"

Cronus groans quietly, interrupting the other teen in the middle of a sentence, "What does that even mean?"

Kankri sighs quietly, closing his eyes for a moment to compose himself. He then lowers the book that had been covering his face so that he can look down at the other man. "Please, Cronus," he says in disbelief, "If you keep interrupting then it will take much longer to finish. I have told you that we can read over the spark notes after we finish each chapter and _then_ I will answer any questions that you may still have."

"Remind me why I'm putting myself through this?"

The shorter teen narrows his eyes in slight annoyance. "Because the deal was that that I would allow you to put your head in my lap as long as you allow me to assist you with your assigned reading." He has to raise his voice slightly in order to be heard over the childish whining coming from the other teen.

Cronus and Kankri have been dating for almost two weeks now. After they had talked everything out and went on their first actual date, everything fell into place. They began spending much more time together, though they rarely showed each other affection in public. This was mainly due to Kankri's preferences against personal displays of affection, but Cronus did not mind. In fact, the only people who even knew that they were seeing each other were their close friends.

"But I didn't know it was gonna be so boring," Cronus drags out the last word, shifting his head in Kankri's lap and staring up at the brown eyes of the other man, "Besides, we've already read like three chapters today. Isn't that enough?"

Kankri frowns and tilts his head a bit. "We've barely started chapter two, Cronus," he says with a quiet sigh, knowing how difficult it was for the other teen to concentrate. "How about we finish this one and then we'll be done for today."

Cronus huffs, moving his hand up to poke Kankri playfully in the cheek, making the other turn his head away from the contact. "How about I take us out to dinner down the street in a little bit. Me, you, Dan, and Karkat. And then when we come back you can finish the chapter to me? Sound good? Until then we can just relax." The dark haired teen smiles hopefully at the other.

Kankri frowns and rolls his eyes "Fine," he says, pushing Cronus's hand away gently, "You should get your head out of my lap now, then."

Cronus huffs out in disbelief, but nonetheless he sits up and smoothes his hair back quickly as the teen next to him closes the novel.

The blue eyed teen waits for a minute before draping his arm around Kankri's shoulders, resting it there comfortably and moving closer to the other. He feels Kankri tense up slightly under the weight of his arm. "Relax Kan," he says with a smile, "Is this okay?"

Kankri is still not used to the closeness that came with being in a relationship someone. He had not grown accustomed to the arms that occasionally circle around him without reason or the much larger hand that would sometimes move to hold onto his own. Not that they were unwelcomed of course, they were just so incredibly foreign to him.

"Yes, this is alright."

It was not this way when he did these sort of things with Porrim. The two have been friends for so long that Kankri was used to being near and hugging her. But apart from Porrim and his family, he had not experienced being this close to someone before.

He slowly allows himself to relax, resting against the larger man's side and still holding the book in his hands. He sighs out quietly, turning to look at Cronus.

Cronus stares at the other man, just memorizing the freckles on his face and watching the way that his deep brown eyes shine in the cheap lighting of the apartment. He cannot help thinking about how lucky he is that after all the mistakes and misunderstandings that had happened along the way, they actually managed to work things out so that they could be together. He smiles softly at the thought, still staring at the other.

He is not quite sure what made him think that it was a good idea. It is almost impulsive. But after a moment more, his smile softens even more and he tilts his head just slightly, leaning in toward the shorter man. His lips are barely an inch away from Kankri's when the other teen turns his head away.

Kankri's face turns a deep shade of red when he realizes what was about to happen. He is not ready for Cronus to kiss him yet, especially without warning. He can feel the panic of the situation building up in his chest, even after he had turned away.

The dark haired teen hesitates for a moment before pressing the kiss to Kankri's cheek instead, as if that was where it had meant to be all along. His formerly sweet and soft smile turns into one of slight sadness.

"When are you going to let me kiss you, Kankri?" Cronus asks with a slightly sad chuckle. He meant for the question to come off as a joke of course, but regardless, Kankri quickly became defensive.

"Cronus," he says a bit sternly, crossing his arms and looking away, "You caught me off guard. I'll kiss you when I'm ready, alright? Not a moment before then. If you aren't alright with that then-"

"Kan, come on," Cronus interrupts, "I'm fine with it, really. I promise. We go at your pace alright?" He forces his smile up once again and reaches down to hold one of the other boy's hands in both of his own. "Wouldn't want to scare my boyfriend off by going too fast, yeah?" Cronus laughs a bit, squeezing Kankri's hand gently.

The red head's eyes widen and he quickly turns his head to look at Cronus. "Boyfriend?" he asks in disbelief.

At this, Cronus tilts his head a bit in confusion. "We," he pauses for a moment, a frown moving over his face, "We are boyfriends, right? I mean, we go on dates and- I thought that's what we were."

Did Kankri not want that?

"Well," the red head begins, looking down at his hands, "We hadn't really talked about that term yet. I wasn't sure if- I mean I would like to be your... Boyfriend. If that is alright with you, of course."

Cronus grins and presses a brief kiss to the side of Kankri's head. "Hell yeah, Kan. That's more than alright with me."

* * *

_**Thank you for reading once again! Only one more chapter before the intermission! Please leave a review for me!**_


	25. Chapter 25

"Want to move your head now?" Kankri asks as he closes the book in his hands for the final time that evening.

"Nope," Cronus grins, "You made me listen to more of that boring ass book so I get to stay."

The red head rolls his eyes, gently pushing the other's head out of his lap. "You said we could finish the chapter after dinner, and besides," he pauses, looking over the back of the book for a moment, "It's not a boring book. It's an important piece of our country's literature. The descriptions are incredible and the imagery and metaphors are so well thought out. The entire story is seamless and it completely revolutionized the romantic writing style."

Cronus sits up beside Kankri, just smiling softly at him as he talks. He watches the way Kankri moves his hands excitedly as he speaks and how he stares off into the room as if he could see something not visible to the taller man.

"Wait," Kankri stops himself as he finally directs his gaze toward Cronus, "What are you smiling at?"

Cronus's grin widens even more as he lets out a quiet chuckle. "Nothing, Kan," he tells the other dismissively, "You really like books, huh?"

Kankri tilts his head at the question, setting the novel on the coffee table in front of them. "Of course I do," he says defensively, "I love to read and write. Literature is easily my favorite subject."

"Want to be a writer or somethin' one day?" Cronus reaches forward, taking Kankri's hand carefully in his own.

"A writer?" the redhead seems to think it over for a moment, holding Cronus's hand back lightly, "No, I don't think that I will be." A small frown moves over Kankri's face and he looks down at the hand holding his own.

"You don't think you will?" Cronus scoots a little bit closer to the other, leaning down to look at him better, "Okay, but then what do you want to do?"

"What do I want?" The smaller teen tilts his head back to look at his boyfriend. He looks up at him for a moment with wide eyes, as if what he actually wanted to do had not occurred to him before. "Well," he continues, "I suppose it would be enjoyable to incorporate writing into a career of mine someday. Perhaps in journalism or maybe one day a published author but- but it just isn't practical."

"What?" Cronus asks, "What do ya' mean it's not practical? I'm sure you could do it. You're really good at that kind of stuff."

"Cronus, even so, it just isn't a sustainable job. It wouldn't provide a steady enough income to support me."

"A steady income?" Cronus cannot help but let out a quiet laugh, "You're going to base the career that you plan to do for the rest of your life around something like the amount of money you'll make? Wouldn't be better to just do something that you actually like doing?"

Kankri's cheeks puff out in slightly in annoyance at the other's question. "It's not about the money, Cronus. I can't believe that you would imply that I was so shallow. It's about being able to become independent. I want to be able to support myself and not rely on someone else for my living expenses." Kankri sighs quietly, frowning. "What do you want to do after high school?"

"Me?" Cronus looks away as if he was trying to think of what to say. He runs a hand through his hair for a moment before looking back a Kankri, "Don't laugh, okay?" He waits for a nod from his boyfriend before he bothers continuing. "I want to be a musician."

"A musician? I didn't even know that you were interested in playing music. Do you play an instrument?" For a moment, Kankri felt bad for not knowing these things about Cronus.

"I haven't told you already?" the taller teen asks, "I play guitar. I mean, I sing too but- yeah," he laughs nervously, scratching at the back of his head and looking away from the other man.

"What sort of music do you play?"

"Well," leans back against the couch once again, "A little of everything I guess. I really like doing acoustic song covers. But lately I've been writing some of my own stuff too."

Kankri's brown eyes get a little wider and his mouth hangs open a bit. "You write your own music?" A small smile slides across his face. "Cronus, that's-"he pauses, trying to think of what to say, "That is actually very impressive."

"Ya think so, Kan?" he cannot help but laugh quietly.

"Yes of course. But, how would you plan to make a living off of it? Would you try to pursue it as your only job. Where would you work?"

A slow forming smile was quickly knocked from Cronus's face at the incredulousness in the other's question. "Well, yeah," he says simply, "I just... It'd be cool ya' know? I'd like ta' just play at different gigs and stuff. I really like live music so it'd be nice to just travel and play in bars and live on the road."

"On the road?"

"You know," Cronus pushes up a smile again, staring off dreamily, "Like moving from place to place, staying in shady hotel rooms, and living from paycheck to paycheck."

"Cronus, that sounds terrible," Kankri says bluntly.

The older teen furrows his eyebrows, looking down with a frown on his face. He knew that Kankri would not understand. It was the same response that he had gotten from his father when he told him that he wanted to be a musician. He remembers being yelled at for the principle alone. His dad said that he wanted Cronus to "uphold the family name" by continuing in his line of work and that no son of his would be "wasting his life trying to make a profession out of a silly hobby."

"But-" Kankri's voice pulls the other from his thoughts, "If it's something that you want to do, I think that it's ultimately up to you." The smaller teen had noticed how upset the other looked and was trying his hardest to fix things. "It just sounds terrible to me because I don't trust hotel rooms." Kankri squeezes Cronus's hand softly, trying to be comforting. "Would you mind if I asked you to play something for me?"

Cronus looks at his boyfriend in disbelief for a moment before a huge grin overtakes his face. "Wait really?" he moves closer, squeezing Kankri's hand back, "I'll go get my guitar." And with that he kisses the back of the other's hand gently, then hurries off to his room, coming back a moment later with an acoustic guitar.

He sits on the couch beside Kankri, propping the guitar up on one of his knees. His fingers go to work, busily plucking at the strings with his left hand and turning the knobs at the head of it with his right. As he concentrated on tuning the instrument, Kankri scooted closer, smiling softly at the intense focused look on his boyfriend's face with a set jaw and lower lip pulled gently between his teeth.

It was not long after that until Cronus slowly began strumming out a few chords, all the while still not looking up at the other, focused on the song that he was playing. His other hand moves up and down the fret, pressing down strings expertly.

The redhead became so wrapped up in the music that he almost did not notice when Cronus began humming out a slow melody. Kankri's eyes drift up, away from the fingers moving across the guitar to the dark haired teen's face as he begins to sing softly.

He was a bit taken aback by how beautiful Cronus's voice was. It was deep and smooth, but there was something strangely clean about the way he sang. The lyrics were not anything that Kankri could recall hearing before, and there were a few sections where Cronus would switch back to humming a rhythm rather than singing it. The smaller teen became so overtaken by the other's music that he hardly could process the silence that followed when Cronus was done with his song.

"It's-" Cronus stumbles for words for a moment, "It's a work in progress. I mean I've got all the chords and rhythms. I'm just working on the rest of the lyrics."

"You wrote this, Cronus?" Kankri asks, dumbly staring with wide eyes at the other teen.

"Well," the blue eyed teen says slowly as he looks away, moving his hand from the guitar to rub at the back of his neck, "Yeah, I mean- I'm trying to. Like I said, it's not done yet. I know it's not really all that great but-"

A pair of lips press against his own quickly, cutting off his sentence before he can finish it. The kiss was quick, almost impossible for Cronus to register it until the other had already pulled away.

"I'm sorry," Kankri begins apologizing, "I don't know what came over me. I should have asked if it was alright."

A slow grin spreads across Cronus's face, but with the lack of response, Kankri continues rambling.

"I mean it wasn't my intention to interrupt you. I wasn't thinking I just wanted-",

"Kan," Cronus laughs, happy to be the one to interrupt this time, "It's fine. Really, it is." He sets his guitar to the side, scooting closer to the other happily. "Mind if I take a second to kiss you back, though? That one was kind of quick, yeah?"

Kankri's blush does not disappear as he looks away in embarrassment, then nods quickly to let his boyfriend know that it was all right. He feels a hand cup the side of his face gently, guiding him to look back at the other, but he quickly shuts his eyes as their lips meet again.

The second kiss is not much longer than the first, but it is soon followed by a third and fourth, each one a bit more comfortable than the last. Their lips linger together for a moment, and that is when their laughter begins.

The two laugh quietly, foreheads pressed against each other's and lips barely separated. The smaller man's hand moves slowly to find the other's. Their fingers lace together carefully, holding on to one another. When Kankri finally opens his eyes, he finds his boyfriend smiling softly and patiently at him.

"It was a beautiful song, Cronus."

**END OF ACT 2**

* * *

_**Thank you once again for reading! It's looking like there will be three acts and maybe an epilogue? We'll see!**_

_**Please while you're here just... leave me a quick review? What your favorite moment in this story so far? What would you like to see more of in the future?**_

_**And if anyone out their would like to draw fanart for me I'd be so so incredibly grateful! (it can be submitted to my tumblr: writingonprospit)**_

_**Thanks again!**_


	26. Chapter 26

**INTERMISSION 2**

"Ouch- Careful, Meenah," Aranea puffs out her cheeks slightly in protest, clenching her fists tightly as her shoulders raise up and tense at the pain in her scalp.

"Oh, quit complainin', Serket, I'm almost done. Besides, it's gotta be tight or it won't look good," Meenah grins, fingers still working on finishing up the last braid in her friend's hair. "This is looking badass as hell."

It was a Saturday night and the two had been in the middle of watching Mean Girls during their sleepover at Meenah's house when Meenah insisted on braiding part of Aranea's hair. The blonde sits on the edge of the bed in her short, blue night dress, eyes trying to focus on the television screen. Her best friend sits behind her, guiding her head from side to side as she finishes up the last braid at the side of the blonde's head. Meenah wears a pair of short pink pajama shorts and a black midriff top.

"If you say so," Aranea mumbles quietly, staring at the wall above the television. The two had watched this movie so many times that she had become a bit uninterested in it, and only put up with it because it was her friend's favorite.

"Alright," Meenah grins, running her fingers through the remainder of the soft, unbraided blonde hair in front of her. She turns and crawls to the other side of her bed, reaching into her night stand for a handheld mirror to hand to the other girl.

The blue eyed teen takes the mirror from her friend and holds it up so that she can see the side of her head. Her free hand goes up to trace carefully over the cornrows that run horizontally toward the back of her head, causing her to smile softly. "I guess you're right," she says with a grin, "they do look pretty badass." She tilts the mirror just a bit to see Meenah's face in it, grinning over her shoulder.

"What did I tell you? Have I ever lied to you?" The dark skinned girl wraps her arms around the shoulders of the girl in front of her, hugging her from behind. She grins and presses a friendly kiss to the other girl's cheek.

"Meenah," Aranea warns, turning her head away slightly, "We've talked about this. You can't do that anymore."

The taller girl rolls her eyes and presses another playful kiss to the other's cheek. "Seriously, Serket?" she laughs with a smirk, "Maryam's not here. And you're really going to fuss at me for a tiny kiss on the cheek because you think she'll get a little jealous? Do you really think she actually cares?"

Aranea looks down slightly. She and Meenah have always been this close. Kisses each other on the cheek was nothing more than an expression of their friendship. But when Porrim had stepped into the picture, Aranea had always felt bad about expressing this sort of closeness with Meenah and soon stopped doing it out of discomfort.

It was not as if Porrim had verbalized any sort of discontent with how the two acted around each other. In fact, it was not uncommon for Porrim to kiss Kankri's cheek the same way Meenah would kiss Aranea's. So why did it feel wrong for her to receive the same affection from her best friend? She almost felt guilty, which would not make any sense since Aranea and Meenah were only friends. Right?

The blonde sighs out quietly, pulling away Meenah to turn around. "Just stop." The words do not come across nearly as stern as she had expected them to, which is shown clearly by her friend's response.

"Make me," Meenah says with a laugh, grinning as she moves closer and kisses the other's cheek again, and then once more.

"Meenah!" Aranea practically giggles, shoving her shoulder lightly but not managing to stop the kisses landing on her cheek. She laughs and tries to pull away from the other, only to find two arms around her waist again and pulling her down onto the bed. "Seriously!" the blonde shrieks with laughter, kicking her legs in an attempt to roll away from the other, only to have Meenah roll on top of her.

"You'll have to do better than that, Serket!" Meenah calls out, kissing her best friend's cheek repeatedly. She laughs as she moves to straddle the other girl's hips and grabs her wrists, pinning her down playfully as she slowly stopped kissing her, chest heaving as she quieted down.

The blond laughs, face red from her struggle. She smiles up at her friend softly, hair messy and dress riding up slightly. She feels herself blush even more as she feels Meenah's hand find her own, their fingers lacing together to hold onto one another. In that moment, Aranea feels the guilt wash over her once again and she turns her head away.

Meenah's wide, toothy grin slowly faded into a frown as she stared down at the other girl. "What are you so upset over, Aranea?" The darker skinned teen hesitate before pressing one more soft kiss to the other girl's cheek.

"Porrim is my girlfriend," Aranea says simply, staring off to the side. She was not sure what she was expecting then, but Meenah's hand tightening around her own was not it.

"What if you were my girlfriend?" Meenah asks quietly, eyes tracing over the other's face for any sign of response.

"What are you talking about?" Aranea asks, finally looking up again, "I mean, if you were, then I guess this wouldn't make me feel so bad then, huh?"

"No, Serket," Meenah says, eyebrows furrowing together in determination. "I mean-" With that, Meenah takes the other girl by surprise. She leans down and presses her lips to Aranea's.

The kiss is slow and sweet, making the blonde's stomach feel as though it is turning upside down inside of her and her skin run hot with the unbelievable feeling of her best friend's lips against her own. Meenah pulls away a bit too quickly, staring down at the other.

It is not until Aranea's eyes open that she realizes that she had closed them. She is met with the sight of Meenah still hovering over her, lips parted only a few inches away from her own. She s able to see every sunburst of light gold in the dark chocolate of Meenah's eyes and she can feel the other girl's chest laying comfortably against her own.

"I mean," Meenah says again, this time much slower than the first, "What if you were my girlfriend?"

**END OF INTERMISSION 2**

* * *

_**I have some explaining to do. When I started this story I really liked Porrim and Aranea together... But now. I just really like les8ifins okay?**_

_**Thanks for reading! Please leave me a comment! It really makes writing this worth while!** _


	27. Chapter 27

**ACT 3**

"There is no need to be nervous, Cronus," Kankri reminds his boyfriend for what must be the tenth time this evening.

The dark haired man smiles and rolls his eyes at the other teen's words. "Kan, I've told ya babe, I'm not worried."

Kankri pulls his eyes away from the screen of the laptop in front of him to send a chastising glare in the other's direction. "Do not call me that in front of him," he warns with a frown as he goes back to trying to pull up Skype on his computer.

Cronus laughs slightly, shaking his head, "Guess you're the one that's nervous. Think I'm going to embarrass you, huh?" He grins widely, throwing an arm over Kankri's shoulders only to have it pushed off quickly, making him laugh.

"It is not you that I am worried about, Cronus."

The minute that he had mentioned to his adoptive father that he had a boyfriend, he regretted it. In every following conversation for the past month, the older man had been urging Kankri to introduce him to Cronus. He would joke about trying to scare Cronus off and embarrassing Kankri in front of him. But in all, he had been very supportive.

"Isn't your dad like, super religious or something? He's not going to be mad that we're dating, is he?" Cronus frowns, leaning back against the arm of the couch.

"Cronus," the red head sighs, "Just because he is a very religious man doesn't mean that he would disapprove of me being in a relationship with another man." Kankri frowns, staring at the open Skype window on his laptop. Then he sighs quietly and sets the laptop on the coffee table in front of him, listening for a moment to make sure that he can still hear Karkat and Eridan bickering upstairs as they play videogames together. He moves closer to his boyfriend and wraps his arms around the dark haired teen's waist, resting his head on his shoulder. "Besides, I already told him about us. He's happy for me."

Cronus smiles slightly at the hug from the smaller teen. It was rare that Kankri initiated any sort of affection to his boyfriend, so Cronus took full advantage by wrapping his arms around Kankri's waist and pressing a kiss to the top of his head. "That's great, Kan," he says, staying quiet for a moment before speaking again, "When did he say he was going to call?"

Kankri closes his eyes, relaxing against his boyfriend's chest and staying quiet for a moment. "It could be any minute now. He's very busy so he might be a bit late getting on. He usually is."

At that, Cronus frowns and holds Kankri a bit tighter. He knew very well what it was like to have a father that was constantly busy. In fact, there were more occasions in which his dad ate in his office rather than at family dinners. "So what's your dad doing in Africa?" Cronus asks, trying to take his mind away from memories of his own father.

"Well," Kankri begins, "He's a missionary, so he does a lot of different things. Right now he is helping build a new children's home in Kenya. On his last trip he taught English to children in-"

The redhead is interrupted by the sound of the incoming video call on his computer. He quickly moves to scramble away from Cronus to accept that call, only to find his boyfriend holding onto him still.

"Cronus-"

"Real quick, babe," Cronus says with a smile, pecking Kankri's lips briefly and smiling at him gently. "Okay, now go," he grins, releasing the other.

The smaller teen rolls his eyes, not able to hold back a smile as he sits up and straightens his shirt and hair before tugging Cronus into the view of the camera. He quickly reaches up to smooth back his boy friend's hair gently before taking a deep breath and pressing the accept call button.

Cronus was surprised as how unlike Kankri and Karkat look compared to the man on the screen. He appears to be in his mid to late thirties and has messy, dark brown hair. His skin sports a dark tan, likely from spending most of his time working outside, and stubble across and around his chin, mouth, and jaw.

"Hello, Kevin," Kankri says with a slight smile.

The man on the computer screen lights up with a big smile, eyes shining with happiness. "Hey, kiddo," he says through his grin, waving at his son through the monitor. "How are you? Is this the boyfriend?"

Cronus chances a glance at Kankri, only to see the smaller teen's face is pretty red with embarrassment. "Yes sir," he responds quickly, "This is my- er- boyfriend, Cronus." He looks at the other, receiving a smile of encouragement before continuing. "Cronus, this is my adoptive father, Kevin."

Cronus's smile drops immediately.

Adopted? How did he not know that his boyfriend was adopted? Why was he adopted? Did something happen to his parents? Why had Kankri not told-?

"Well, he doesn't look like a pan to me," Kevin says with a wide smile. He was very proud of that joke. He knew it must annoy Kankri to hear it so often, but he thought it was the funniest thing. "Pans. Get it? Because Kankri is-"

"Pansexual," Kankri cuts the older man off with a groan of disbelief, "Did you really need to use that one _now?_" The red headed teen crosses his arms. There was no question at all that Kevin was supportive of Kankri's sexuality, but that one particular joke simply _had_ to come with it. Kankri chances a glance at his boyfriend, nudging Cronus's arm gently. He would have thought that the other would have gotten a kick out of the ridiculous joke, but really he just seemed to be lost in thought.

"Huh?" Cronus's eyebrows are knit together in confusion as he looks down at his boyfriend, then back to the computer screen.

"You alright there, son?" Kankri's _adoptive_ father asks, causing Cronus to snap out of his thoughts.

"Yeah," Cronus forces up an unsure smile, glancing at his boyfriend worriedly before looking back to the screen. "I mean uh- yes sir," he corrects himself quickly, "It's really nice to meet you."

"No need to be so formal, Cronus," Kevin laughs, grinning kindly at the two on the other side of the screen.

Cronus relaxes slightly as he feels his boyfriend's hand slide into his own. Of course it was not where the older man could see them holding hands, and so it was enough comfort to calm Cronus down slightly.

Most of the rest of the conversation went by fairly easily. The older man of course asked both of the teens how they met, how school was going, and a bunch of other questions that seemed to just be used for making small talk. Kevin asked what Cronus's parents did for a living to which the teen replied that his father was in the boating business and that his mother worked in aquarium, which was not a lie. He asked about what Cronus liked to do, and so Kankri took a moment to brag on his boyfriend's skill at writing music.

Soon the conversation came to a close.

"We can't wait to see you in a couple of weeks," Kankri says with a gentle smile, "Karkat has been counting the days until our Christmas break."

At no response from the older man, Kankri frowns. The room stays silent for a minute and the two teens watch as Kevin looks away from the camera in dismay.

Cronus glances at his boyfriend just in time to see the look of distress pass over his face. His mouth falls open slightly as if he has something important to say, but all that comes out is a quiet, "You won't be able to make it, will you?"

"Kankri," the middle aged man says with a sigh, "I didn't want to tell you this afternoon. I'm sorry."

Another long silence.

"Well," the redhead says quietly, hand slipping from Cronus's, "I had better tell Karka-"

"No," he is cut off by his caretaker's voice, "Where is he? I'll tell him."

* * *

**I'd like the formally apologize for the terrible dad joke.**

**Thank you for reading another chapter! Please leave a review!**


	28. Chapter 28

"Stop it!" Karkat all but growls, narrowing his eyes in frustration at the other child. "This level is garbage! I swear if you make us play it one more time I'll gouge my own freaking eyes out so I don't have to look at this shit!"

The blonde haired child smirks slightly, ignoring Karkat's protests and selecting Rainbow Road for what was probably the fifth time since they started playing Mario Kart. He really could not help it, or, he could help it but he would much rather annoy the hell out of his best friend. It was just too funny listening to Karkat get angrier and angrier each time his cart fell off the side of the multicolored track.

"Eridan!" Karkat yells, lunging at his friend, making a grab for the player one remote. His hands goes to the front of Eridan's purple shit, grabbing onto the soft cotton of the fabric as he practically tackles him to the floor.

"Get off of me!" The blonde yells back, rolling onto his side and holding the wireless controller to his stomach as he tries to worm away from the attacking preteen.

Karkat grabs the arms of the other child, trying to pull them away. "Give me the controller!"

"No!" Eridan shrieks with laughter, tossing the controller to the far corner of the room and grinning as he watches the other dive for it, only to grab Karkat by his legs and hold on tight.

"Hey," Cronus's voice comes from the direction of the stairs, "You two stop rough-housin', alright?"

Eridan turns his head from where he lays on the ground to see his older brother standing at the room's entrance. He quickly releases his hold on Karkat's legs, snickering as he watches the shorter child stumble forward.

Karkat lands on his hands and knees in front of the controller, picking it up quickly and turning to stick his tongue out a Eridan.

"Seriously, you both know Kan would kick your asses if he saw this," Cronus says with a slight smile, pausing a bit before continuing, "Karkat, you dad wants to talk to you."

At that, the brunette looks over with wide eyes. He glances between the remote in his hands and Eridan. "I'm taking this with me," he says, narrowing his eyes at the blonde before quickly making his way down the stairs with the controller still in hand.

Cronus watches as the younger Vantas hurries down the stairs, frowning as he goes. He then walks over to the couch against the far side of the room, sitting down and rubbing at his face in frustration.

"Cro?" Eridan says quietly, trying to get his older brother's attention. "How was your talk with Kar and Kan's adoptive dad?" he asks. The younger child was worried that something had gone wrong during the talk.

"Adoptive-" Cronus finally looks up, staring at his little brother. "You knew?" he asks incredulously, gaping over at the blonde child. "Did everyone know that those two were adopted except me?"

Eridan sits up, frowning, "You didn't know that they were adopted?"

"No, Dan. I didn't."

"But-" the blonde says quickly, "You're his boyfriend, you're supposed to know that stuff!"

"I know!" Cronus snaps slightly, lowering his voice immediately. "He never told me. How was I supposed to know?" He rubs at his forehead, sighing out in frustration and resting against the uncomfortable couch. He leaned his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "Where are their parents?" he asks quietly.

Eridan shifts slightly, looking down sadly. "They died in a car crash a long time ago. I mean, from what Kar told me he didn't really know them all that well. He said Kankri remembers it though. He was maybe eight or somethin', I think," Eridan says, "Maybe that's why Kankri doesn't want to talk about it? Because he was in the car?"

Cronus's eyes are wide, gaping at his younger brother. How could he not have known any of this? Of course, Kankri had not necessarily been dropping hints for Cronus, but he is still in disbelief that he did not even know that his boyfriend's parents were dead. Not that he had too much room to talk, he has not mentioned his parents to Kankri at all.

"What did Mr. Kevin want?" Eridan's voice pulls Cronus from his thoughts.

"What?"

"What did he need Karkat for? Is he in trouble?" Eridan asks.

The dark haired brother shakes his head slightly. "He's not in trouble. It's just family issues," he says, mind still somewhere else.

"Family issues? Like what?"

Cronus goes back to staring at the ceiling, talking quietly, "Apparently he won't be home to have Christmas with them."

"They can have Christmas with us then!" Eridan says happily, moving to hop on the couch beside his brother and bouncing in glee.

"Dad wants us to drive up and go see them for the holidays," Cronus reminds his younger brother, not turning his head to look at him. "You might be able to hang out with Kar for New Years if we get back in time for that. Maybe we can invite Kankri and Karkat over then."

"But," the blonde says, puffing out his cheeks in a pout, "They'd be spending Christmas alone. I can ask mom if they can come up there with us. I'm sure she will say yes."

"I'm sure she will," Cronus says in agreement. She never says no to anything that Eridan asks for and Eridan is well aware of that. "You ask her next time you talk to her, and then I'll talk it over with Kan if she says yes."

"_When_ she says yes," The younger child corrects his brother confidently.

"Yeah," Cronus mumbles quietly, "When."

Cronus was not sure if he even wanted his boyfriend meeting his parents. They were not exactly the nicest of people and they definitely were not as laid back as Kankri's adoptive father.

His dad was not too terrible. He was strict and often distant with a temper that would sometimes cause problems. Even when he was not working, he talked to his family as if he were conducting a business meeting. Other than that, he was not a bad man.

His mother on the other hand, was rude and arrogant. She was the type of person who would do anything to have things her way. Cronus doubts that she has always been this way, but over time she had become even more cranky than usual and grew to care less for her family with the exception of Eridan.

Just then, a pair of quiet footsteps can be heard coming up the staircase. Karkat climbs up, shoulders slumping slightly as he walks. His head is tilted downward and he drags his feet.

Cronus can tell that the smaller child did not take the news well. He stands up and pats his brother's shoulder before heading downstairs to check on his boyfriend.

"Kar," Eridan asks with a frown, "Are you okay? Do you want to play some more?"

Without saying anything, Karkat nods hesitantly and hands the first player controller back to Eridan.

* * *

_**Thank you so much for reading!**__** Please leave a review! I'd like your feedback! (I'm working really hard to update consistently each week and its really disheartening when I only get a couple reviews per chapter ;-; )**_


	29. Chapter 29

"Will you two stop making out and come on already?" Karkat yells at the two teens that are still standing at the front door of the Vantas household from the back window of the truck. "Wait I think I forgot sunscreen-" Kankri says hurriedly as he steps forward in an attempt to make his way back into the house for the third time since they walked outside, only to have an arm blocking him from the door.

"Kan, babe, you don't need sunscreen," Cronus tries to tell his boyfriend, stepping in front of him to block his way, "The sun's gonna be settin' by the time we get there anyway, right?"

"Well, I suppose," Kankri says quietly, thinking for a moment and going over the list of essentials in his head once more. "Do we have the picnic blanket?"

"Already packed," the dark haired teen chuckles quietly, bright blue eyes shining as he grins at his boyfriend, "Now, how about you lock up and we can get this show on the road, yeah?" He smiles softly, leaning against the doorframe as he watches the red head carefully make sure that both locks on the door are locked before turning and nodding to confirm that he is ready.

"We aren't getting any younger! Come on!" Karkat shouts again, followed by a string of laughter from Eridan, who sits in the back seat beside him.

* * *

Kankri remembers his parents taking him to the local fair when he was younger. He saw it as a place of wonder, only looking at it from the innocent eyes of a child. He remembers the bright lights on the hastily constructed mechanical rides, the loud and cheerful music that seems to ring through the air, the magic of fireworks, and the delicacy that is cotton candy.

Upon Kevin taking him and Karkat to a fair once again a couple of years ago, he now has a different opinion on it. The people were far too rowdy and loud for his liking. The air always smelt of fryer oil, petting zoos, or worse, a mix of them both. By the end of the night there would be garbage and vomit in the most unpredictable of places, and too often is it easy to run into some less than polite people.

So how is it that he finds himself here tonight? Perhaps it is due to the past week of his little brother practically begging to go, or the fact that Cronus and Eridan had apparently never been to a fair before. Regardless, he is here now and plans to make the best of it.

"Karkat, Eridan," Kankri calls out for the two preteens, who have already started hurrying toward the ticket line without a glance back to their brothers. He huffs out in exasperation, pulling his black drawstring backpack on and closing the passenger door of the truck.

"Hey Kan, relax," Cronus urges his boyfriend gently, lazily moving his arm to drape over the shorter teen's shoulders and keep him close. "We're here to have fun, yeah?"

The red headed teen sighs out slowly, relaxing into the warmth of the other man's side as they walk for a moment. "Of course we are, Cronus," he says quickly, not wanting the other to think that he was not going to try. "I am paying for Karkat's ticket though, so he should stay with me for now." He leans into Cronus a bit as he tries to justify his worry, going quiet at the brief kiss that the taller teen presses to his forehead sweetly.

The parking lot for the fairgrounds was crowded. It had taken them about ten minutes of navigating through the muddy lot to find a place to park. It is a bit further away from the entrance to the fair, but none of the boys particularly mind walking. There are plenty of other groups of people making their way in the same direction, so it was not difficult to know where the entrance was.

When they arrive at the front of the fairgrounds, there is a ridiculously long wait for tickets. Crowds of fairgoers corralled into what was supposed to be a line, but is really just a mass of bodies waiting to go to the same place. They all shift excitedly as they listen to the music and roar from the rides beyond the wall separating them from the inside of the fair.

As Cronus guides Kankri into the line to follow their younger brothers, the redhead hears someone calling out to him and turns his head to look for the voice, standing up on his toes to get a better look past the people in the way. When he manages to get a clear view, he sees his best friend standing out of line, apparently waiting for someone.

"Cronus?" Kankri says quickly, "Mind if I go see Porrim for a moment? I can assure you that I will not be gone for long."

"Kan, you don't have to ask me for permission to go hang out with Maryam," Cronus laughs, leaning in to try and plant a kiss on Kankri's lips only for the other to turn his head and rolls his eyes, not without a smile, before ducking down underneath the metal bar of the corral and hurrying over to his friend.

Porrim's pierced lips turn up into a gentle smile as Kankri approaches. "Hello, Kanny," she says softly, taking his hand as he comes closer and leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek, which causes Kankri to tilt his head away slightly in embarrassment.

"Porrim," he says, pushing up a smile, "I was not informed that you would be here this evening. If I had known I would have invited you to come with Cronus, his brother, Karkat, and I." He knew that Cronus probably would not have been too happy about having Porrim tagging along all night, but she was Kankri's best friend.

"Kankri, I wouldn't want to intrude," She says simply, "We should definitely go on a double date at some other time though." Her arms cross over her chest and she rubs quickly at her own arms for warmth against the early winter air. She wears a warm green sweater that drapes loosely over her frame, exposing olive skin, a black bra strap, and some of the dark tattoos that curl gently over her shoulders. Her legs are covered from the cold air by a pair of dark green leggings, a short and flowing black skirt, and a pair of knee-high black military lace-up boots.

"Wait," Kankri says, tilting his head slightly at his friend, "You are on a date?" He glances around the crowd of fair goers, trying to spot Aranea from where he stands. Perhaps she had gone to talk to someone else nearby.

"Yes," the other teen replies, pushing a strand of her wavy dark hair out of her face. "You remember Latula, from middle school? She is in my science class with me. She should be here any moment."

"Latula?" Kankri asks in confusion, seeming as though he is at a loss for words, "Yes, I remember her. What happened to Aranea?" It was fairly common for Porrim to move from one person to the next without much concern, but seeing as how she had been with Aranea since the summer had begun, Kankri had thought that they were happy together.

"She broke up with me," Porrim says quietly, looking to the side and shrugging it off. "I mean," she begins again, "It does not matter all that much. She's much happier with Meenah anyway."

At that, Kankri feels slightly regretful for asking about Aranea. He was glad that Porrim did not seem overly upset over the breakup, but still feels worry for his best friend.

"Don't give me that look, Kanny" she chastises the other teen, "I am alright. I'm here to have fun, alright? You go do the same, okay?"

"Kankri!" The red headed teen turns his head as his younger brother calls out to him, "Get up here, we're almost at the ticket booth!"

Porrim laughs quietly, smiling gently at her best friend as she pulls him into a hug. "Go have fun with your boyfriend," she says, holding onto him for a moment and keeping his head against her shoulder. "If he tries to have sex with you, call me!" she says with a laugh, causing Kankri to pull away quickly.

"Porrim! Cronus and I will be partaking in no such thing this evening!" he puffs out his cheeks before taking a deep breath and continuing, "We have not reached such a stage in our relationship where that would be appropriate, not to mention wanted! And while he and his brother will be spending the night at our house, he will be sleeping downstairs on the couch while I will be-"

"Yeah, yeah," Porrim interrupts, glancing over her shoulder. "I get it Kankri, not tonight. Now go! Go have fun! I'll find you again for the fireworks, alright?" She smiles, reaching down to squeeze his hand gently.

"Kankri!" Karkat calls out again.

Kankri sighs out, squeezing her hand back before telling her goodbye and turning to head back toward where Cronus and the two younger children stand. An arm moves around his shoulder as the line begins to move again and he slowly relaxes into his boyfriend's warmth, moving forward as they approach the ticket stand.

* * *

_**Hey thanks for reading once again! Sorry for not posting last week I'm having a bit of a creative block. But thank you a whole bunch! Please leave a comment! Next weeks chapter will follow Eridan and Karkat some.**_


	30. Chapter 30

Karkat could never understand how he managed to have the most worrisome and lecturing brother in the entire world. He glances past Kankri at Eridan and Cronus just a bit away. He watches as Cronus simply hands his younger brother some spending money and tells him briefly to call if he needs anything. He wishes that Kankri would be so brief in his dismissal.

"Karkat?" the older of the two brothers huffs and cross his arms over his neat red sweater, "Are you listening to me? Really now Karkat, you must pay attention. It is especially imperative that you comprehend the plan for this evening so that you and Eridan will know where to meet us before the firework show. You have your spending money, correct? I expect you to text me every half hour with an update on where you are and where you are going. We will meet right here again this evening and all walk together to the field to watch the fireworks. Porrim texted me saying that she will save us a spot near her and Latula, along with a few other people to watch them this evening. Do not eat too much junk food. Drink plenty of water. I do not want for you to become dehydrated. If you feel as though you are becoming dehydrated or faint-headed either you or Eridan should text us immediately-"

"Babe," Cronus finally cuts in, making Karkat roll his eyes at the pet name being used on his older brother, "I think he gets it, alright? You'll see him again soon, and Dan and Kar will take care of each other, alright?" For once, Karkat is grateful that Cronus is stepping into their conversation.

"I'll keep you updated, Kankri" he assures his brother with a frown, stepping over to his friend. "We'll see you later."

Eridan is staring about the fairground eagerly, practically dancing as he shifts his weight from leg to leg. It being his first time at a fair, he obviously wanted to get going. He brushes a strand of purple hair backwards and out of his face, adjusting his black long sleeve shirt and blue striped scarf that matches his skinny jeans.

"Well," the red headed teen looks to his boyfriend, then at the two younger children briefly, "I suppose. Please be careful, Karkat."

"We will," Karkat grabs Eridan's sleeve, guiding him away from their siblings, "Bye, Kankri."

* * *

"Can we go ride that one?" Eridan points to one of the brightly colored, rickety, spinning rides. "How about that one?"

"Eridan," Karkat grumbles slightly, "We'll ride all of them. Just calm down, alrigh-? Hey! Get back here!" He huffs as he watches the taller child run over to one of the cheap wooden game booths that contains a plethora of giant stuffed animals and a water gun game.

The brunette quickly makes his way over to his friend, glaring over the bright pink counter at the greasy young man who Eridan is handing money to in exchange for playing the ridiculous fair game.

"Alright kid," the carnie in the booth says, "All you gotta do is aim the water into that little circle over there, ya see? If the power gauge above it gets up the star at the top, you win a prize, got it?"

The blonde nods quickly, grinning at the target before him as he grips the handles of the attached water gun. For a moment, Karkat considers pulling him away from the obviously scamming game, but reconsiders as soon as he notices how excited the other child is. After the first game, in which Eridan just barely loses and goes to open his wallet once again, the shorter child can no longer stay quiet.

"Eridan," he says with a hard frown and crossed arms, "The game is rigged. He can adjust the water pressure depending on whether he wants you to win or not. You might as well not bother." He is careful to say this when the game worker's back turned and quiet enough so that he cannot hear.

At this Eridan frowns and fishes out another two dollars. "What do you mean Kar?" He pouts slightly, sticking out his lower lip, "I can't giw- give up until I win your crab." As he says this, he points above the carnie's head.

Karkat frowns, eyes following the direction of his friend's hand, looking up at the toy rack. Toward the top sits a rather large and incredibly soft looking stuffed red crab. His eyes widen slightly in awe at the toy. "For me?"

"Yeah," Eridan says, not missing a beat, "Crabs are your favorite right?" He grins, handing the man across the counter some more money.

Karkat says nothing.

* * *

"Do you think it'll be worth it?" Eridan asks nervously, staring up at what was undeniably the scariest ride in the park. It was a single track in a giant vertical circle, in which the cart that riders were strapped into continuously went around. It was called the Fire Ball, and when the cart started moving quickly along the track, the entirety of the ride would shake in a way that made Eridan's stomach feel queasy.

"It better be," Karkat grumbles quietly, his arms holding tightly to his new giant plush crab and shrinking into his grey hoodie slightly. It was rather old out tonight, so he shifts subconsciously to huddle against his friend for warmth, "We've been here for like an hour."

It was an exaggeration of course, but it had been a little over thirty minutes already since the two got in line for the Fire Ball and Karkat was freezing.

"Are you okay?" the smaller boy asks his friend, "You kind of look like you're going to be sick."

Eridan tears his eyes away from the giant ride before him in favor of looking down at Karkat. "Duh, I'm okay," he says, hoping that it comes out sounding more confident than he actually is, "Why wouldn't I be?"

* * *

Eridan wipes the tears from his eyes quickly, sitting on the ground on the exit side of the Fire Ball, hugging his knees. He feels Karkat's hand patting his back in an attempt to be comforting, but it does not help.

He is completely embarrassed. There are children half his age riding the fair ride right now, so why is he the one that needed to be let off the ride before it even started? As soon as he had been strapped in, he began to panic and cry to be let off. Without looking back, he made his way down the exit ramp, quickly followed by his friend.

"Eridan," Karkat says, frowning at his crying friend, unsure of what to do, "Come on, man, really, it isn't a big deal. People ask to be let off rides all the time. Stop crying." He huffs in exasperation before hesitantly wrapping his arms around the crying preteen, carefully keeping his stuffed crab in his lap.

The blonde wipes at his eyes frantically, trying to dry his eyes and not wanting to cry like this in front of what was essentially his _only_ friend. "S-sorry. I didn't mean to ruin the ride, Kar," he all but whines as he speaks, causing his friend to roll his eyes.

"Don't worry," Karkat sighs and pulls away a bit, "I didn't want to ride it that badly, Eridan. I'm not a huge fan of roller coasters. Like, I'm okay with riding them but they aren't really all that fun to me." He waits a moment, expecting Eridan to say something, but at not getting a response he takes it upon himself to ask, "Want to go on the swing ride again?"

* * *

"Hey, Karkat?" Eridan asks, hands out before him to feel at the glass mirror in front of him with a soft smile.

The two have been slowly navigating their way through the mirror maze for a few minutes now as one of their last activities for the evening before they have to meet up with Cronus and Kankri once again.

"What?" comes the voice of the boy behind him. Karkat obviously was not finding the maze nearly as entertaining as his friend, but was being patient in following him through it. He was genuinely happy that Eridan has been having such a good time this evening, even after his slight drawback at the Fire Ball.

"What do you want for Christmas?"

The brunette frowns slightly. "Nothing," he says quietly, staring down at the giant crab toy in his arms. Talking about Christmas has become sort of a sore spot for Karkat for obvious reasons. While he was looking forward to the holiday break from school, it would have been much happier if his father were actually able to make it home.

"Nothing?" Eridan asks in disbelief, "You've got to want something. Like a new video game, or a book, or CD, or something."

Karkat narrows his eyes at the other's insistence, not thinking it over before saying, "I want my dad to come home." He says the words in an almost growl, laced with anger that he happens to misdirect at his friend. A moment of silence passes before the shorter boy is backtracking quickly. "I'm sorry," he says quickly, looking down.

"Don't be," Eridan says without pausing, "I know you didn't mean anything by it. I wish I could bring him home for you." As he says this, he manages to find the exit of the maze, walking down the steps into the cool air and turning to watch as his friend follows him. "You miss your dad a lot, huh?"

Karkat nods slightly, avoiding eye contact with his friend, unsure if the other would tease him over missing his dad or not.

"I miss my parents too," Eridan says quietly, looking down slightly. Neither of them talk for a moment before the blonde breaks the silence again. "Let's go find Cro and Kan, okay? Hopefully they aren't making out somewhere."

* * *

_**Oh wow thirty chapters! Thank you all for staying with me for this long and being so supportive.**_  
_**We'll get back to Cronus and Kankri next chapter to see how they're enjoying the fair :3**_  
_**Please leave a review, they mean a lot to me.**_


	31. Chapter 31

Cronus cannot remember the last time he was around this many people. As the night goes on, the fairgrounds slowly become more crowded. Each person is smiling and laughing with their own group of friends while not giving a care to the rest of the crowd. In the darkness of the late autumn air, the colorful carnival lights illuminate the fairgrounds in an array of glowing hues.

A slight chill runs down Kankri's spine as a breeze picks up, causing him to tuck himself a bit closer against the warmth of his boyfriend's side. He had begrudgingly allowed for Cronus to keep his arm around himself, using the fact that he was cold as an excuse. Cronus would not complain though. He was grateful for any chance Kankri gave him to show affection in public.

"Do you want to play this duck game?" Cronus asks, leading Kankri toward a tent set up with a shallow plastic pool containing many floating rubber ducks in it.

"I'm sure it's rigged, Cronus," Kankri tries to explain, knowing that his boyfriend has not been able to go to a fair until now. He would feel bad if Cronus were to waste his money on something so pointless.

At this, the taller teen rolls his eyes, guiding Kankri toward the tent. "And I've never played a rigged carnival game before, so I might as well get my fill while we're here, yeah?" He grins a bright, toothy smile down at Kankri, causing the redhead to rolls his eyes despite being unable to cover the small smile forming on his lips.

The man in charge of the game appears to be in his late thirties, with prematurely thinning blond hair that is swept to the side in an attempt to cover his bald spots. He explains quickly to the two teenagers that all they needed to do was pick up a duck, and that if their duck had a number above a five, they could choose a prize from the bottom shelf. If it was over a twenty, they could choose one from the top shelf.

Neither teen won a prize, which was not surprising to either of them. They thanked the balding man for the chance to play before walking away to play a few more rigged carnival games, never having any more luck than they had with the first.

Eventually they realized how late it was getting and found that they had not been on a single ride yet.

"You should at least try the ferris wheel," Kankri says with a content hum, plastering himself against his boyfriend's side for easily the twentieth time that night. He cannot remember the last time that he has had this much fun at a fair, or anywhere for that matter. A soft smile has been glazed over the smaller teen's face as he goes about his evening.

"The ferris wheel?" Cronus chuckles quietly, looking up at the large rotating ring that easily stretches above the rest of the fair rides.

"Mh-hm," Kankri hums, smiling as he take in the scent of his boyfriend's cologne happily. "You said you wanted the full fair experience, right? I think we should ride the ferris wheel."

It was not until they were reaching the front of the line that Cronus began to have doubts.

"I mean," he says nervously, head craned back to stare up at the massive ride, "If you don't want to ride it we don't have to." It was not as if he is necessarily afraid of heights, but the idea of being suspended that high up by nothing more than a rickety bench is enough to make anyone nervous. Right?

"I'm fine with riding it, Cronus," Kankri says with a soft smile, realizing as he looks up at his boyfriend why the other had said this. He could not help but smile a bit wider as he takes in the nervous expression of the taller man. "I'll hold your hand, Cronus," he explains quietly, "It'll be fun." He hesitates for a moment before glancing around the crowd and leaning up to kiss Cronus's cheek encouragingly.

With his nerves somewhat calmed, the taller of the two teens allows himself to relax. It is not until they are sitting in place and the lap bar clamps over them that Cronus becomes somewhat panicked once again. His hand grasps onto Kankri's tightly, holding on as the color drains from his face.

As soon as they begin to be taken up, Cronus's eyes shut tightly. "Kan," he starts to say, panic evident in his voice, "Kan, I don't want to-"

"It's okay. Cronus, it's alright," The redhead shifts closer to his boyfriend, wrapping a comforting arm around his waist to pull him into a sort of half hug. "Just keep your eyes closed and listen to me okay?" He continues speaking quiet and comforting words to the other man as he holds him close.

Kankri knows that he really should not find his boyfriend's distress to be as cute as it is. Cronus always seems to have an air of toughness about him, one that had seemed to vanish the moment the ride started. It was strange yet oddly nice to see Cronus drop his "tough guy" facade for a little bit and let Kankri comfort him.

The ferris wheel continues to rotate for a few more minutes before Cronus feels the ride slow to a stop.

"Cronus," Kankri says in a soft, comforting voice, "We're at the top. They're letting people off at the bottom. It's almost over."

The taller teen feels a bit more calm at the stillness of the ride, slowly allowing for his eyes to crack open. The height is the first thing he notices. He can see the entirety of the fairgrounds from where he sits, including the people that are beginning to gather to get ready for the firework show. It is terrifying, he decides, but it is beautiful. The lights and noise of the park are so far below him, seeming so insignificant to where he is now.

"Cronus?"

The voice of his boyfriend draws his attention away from the view and to the teen sitting next to him, deep brown concerned eyes meeting Cronus's wide blue ones. All that matters up here is he and Kankri. They are alone over a sea of dancing lights and the mummer of a crowd below them.

An almost giddy grin makes its way across Cronus's face, taking Kankri a bit by surprise. He laughs happily, leaning in with closed eyes to press his lips to his boyfriend's.

The redhead has never been kissed like this. Granted, he had never been kissed at all before Cronus, but with all the kisses that they have shared, nothing compares to this. Cronus's lips are moving against his eagerly, smiling through the kiss. Kankri's eyes slide shut as one of Cronus's hands cup the side of his face. A wave of happiness spreads through his body as they kiss, making Kankri laugh giddily between kisses.

One of his hands is still being held by the other man's much larger one, happy with the warmth that it provides him. His other moves to rest softly upon his Cronus's chest, feeling his boyfriend's heartbeat against the palm of his hand.

* * *

_**AaH have I mentioned I love cronkri? **_

_**As always thanks to my sister and beta Hannah as well as my friend Emily (krabkri) who has been so supportive of my writing, and to anyone who reviewed the last chapter. **_

_**Thank you all!**_

_**Let me know what you think of this chapter in the comments!**_


	32. Chapter 32

_**Warning: Homophobic slurs :c**_

* * *

Kankri's lips have been turned up in a grin since the moment he and Cronus stepped off of the ferris wheel. They make their way down the exit ramp, holding each other close in the cold air and laughing quietly together.

The red head's lips still feel warm from the kiss that the two teenagers shared at the top of the ride and his cheeks are still dusted with a light pink blush. He cannot believe that a simple kiss from his boyfriend could cause him to feel this way. Of course his heart flutters every time that Cronus kisses him, even when it is something as simple as on the cheek, but there was something entirely different about this kiss.

When they kissed on the ferris wheel, it was as if the world had disappeared entirely. He allowed himself to kiss Cronus without the worry of who else was around or if they were moving too fast. It was perfect, breathtaking, and utterly fearless. He felt as though his skin was on fire as they kissed, and there was an underlying feeling of excitement that had overtaken him. He wants to kiss him again.

Apparently Cronus feels the same way, because as soon as Kankri tilts his head toward his boyfriend to ask where they should go next, he feels a pair of lips pressing happily against his own.

Once again, everything melts away besides the man beside him and the lips against his. He tilts his head to the kiss, pressing in closer to Cronus as he feels strong arms wrap around him. Again, nothing matters. Not a single person around them exists for that moment. Kankri does not even care if anyone sees them.

Or so he thinks, until a shout brings him back to the real world.

"Disgusting!" The voice rings out over the crowd angrily, "You've got to be kidding me? There are kids here!"

Cronus pulls away from the kiss before his boyfriend, turning his head to glare over in the direction of the yelling.

The voice comes from a small teenager, even shorter than Kankri. He wears a green shirt and red bowtie with black jeans. He has piercing green eyes and a shaved head, with dark skin and a face twisted in disgust.

"Do you have a problem?" Cronus asks the shorter man, eyes narrowed and lips set in a hard frown. It is obvious that he is angry, so much so that Kankri feels the need to hold onto the sleeve of his jacket in order to prevent him from doing anything that he may regret.

"My problem is that you _faggots_ don't know how to stay out of public!"

Cronus tries to step toward the other teen, only to be held back by his boyfriend. "Fuck off," he practically growls, clenching his fists defensively as his shoulders tense up further.

The short teenager walks closer to Cronus and Kanrki, sneering at them. He holds a red snow cone in his right hand and takes a bit from it. "No, you fuck off. You're disgusting. No one wants to watch you fags hanging all over each other in public! Why don't you go take your twink cock slut boyfriend and-"

Cronus reels back, readying himself to swing his fist forward toward the other man, only to pause as he watches the scene before him.

Kankri's eyes widen in surprise at himself. He is not sure what came over him, but he cannot seem to feel any guilt for his actions. As soon as the stranger had gotten close enough, he had shoved the hand holding the snow cone forward. The syrupy ice splats against the man's face and falls onto his shirt, staining it a vibrant blood red.

The bald teen looks completely stunned for a moment before he starts hissing out a string of curses, stepping toward Kankri.

Before the redhead can fully process what he has done, Cronus takes his hand and starts running away, guiding his boyfriend behind him and laughing the whole way. He grins and chances a glance back at the stranger, who is now cursing and yelling after them.

When the two finally stop running, they are both out of breath and shaking with laughter. Cronus pulls Kankri behind an abandoned game stand to get away from the crowd. He pulls him close into a hug, leaning in to rest his forehead on his boyfriend's shoulder and trying to get his laughter under control.

"Oh my god, Kan," Cronus grins and pulls back to kiss at Kankri's cheek, "His face- You- I didn't know ya had it in you!"

Kankri shakes his head quickly, trying not to laugh. "I honestly do not know what came over me. Oh my, I hope I did not injure him-" he cannot keep a straight face, laughing and moving in closer to his boyfriend. "He was being rude!"

"Yeah, I saw!" Cronus grins down at the other teen, resting his hands gently on Kankri's hips and leaning down to kiss along the freckles across his face. "I almost socked the guy. He woulda had it comin'," the dark haired boy grins against Kankri's cheek, pulling him closer by his hips.

"Oh, Cronus, I would not have wanted you to do that!" Kankri tilts his head away a bit in order to talk without being assaulted by the other's kisses, stepping back to lean against the wood of the game stand, "You could have gotten in trouble, and I highly doubt violence would have been the best solution."

"I'd be defending your honor!" Cronus jokes in response, leaning in to kiss at Kankri's face once again.

"You would have been acting on impulse and doing something ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you'd love me anyway."

They both pause then, stuck in a sort of staring contest with shocked expressions on their faces. The sounds of the fair coming from the other side of the game stand is all that is heard in their moments of heavy speechlessness.

Kankri stares up at his boyfriend with his mouth slightly ajar. There is a whirlwind of questions spinning around in the young man's head. Does he love Cronus? Does Cronus love him? Does Cronus use that word often or did he hold it with as much importance as Kankri?

All of the color has drained from Cronus's face. He did not mean anything serious by the words, but now the question has been presented. It was highly possible for Kankri to believe that they are moving too fast, and ask to slow back down. Perhaps he has made the shorter teen uncomfortable. He felt the need to apologize, but the moment that he is opening his mouth to brush off his own remark, he is stopped.

A soft smile overcomes the smaller teenager's face as he looks down slightly, seemingly very interested in Cronus's shirt. He cannot meet the vibrant blue eyes of his boyfriend in fear of rejection, but he knows that now may be his sole opportunity.

"Yes," he says quietly, smile wavering nervously and eyes fixed ahead, "I would. I mean to say... I do, Cronus."

* * *

_**Fifty points to the person who can tell me who the asshole was. (not that it's very difficult haha)**_

_**Also! Kankri finally defending himself! **_

_**Also also! Sorry this chapter was a couple days late. I've got finals this week and next.  
**__**Please leave me a little review if you have time :3**_


	33. Chapter 33

Cronus stares dumbly at his boyfriend with wide blue eyes and his mouth agape in surprise. "You- You mean you-..." he trails off, hesitant to say the words that Kankri had not even truly spoken yet.

"I love you," Kankri replies nervously, not meeting the eyes of his boyfriend. His normally pale face has turned a bright shade of red, all the way up to the tips of his ears.

Cronus's lips curl into a wide smile. His hands go to rest on Kankri's hips once again to pull him closer. "You love me?" he asks playfully, drawing out the syllables before leaning in to press his lips to his boyfriend's.

The red head pulls away quickly. "Yes, I love you," he says again, rolling his eyes. He had expected Cronus to say it back and has become a bit disheartened by the other teasing him over it.

The taller teen laughs happily, leaning in to kiss his boyfriend again, lips lingering against his for a moment before kissing him again. One of his hands move up to cup the side of Kankri's face gently and guide him into the kiss. "I love you too," Cronus finally says quietly against his boyfriend's lips.

Kankri's chest tightens in happiness at the words. When he feels Cronus smiling against his lips, he cannot help but to break out in a wide grin before continuing their kiss. He moves his lips against his boyfriend's slowly, relaxing as he feels the other teen hold him closer. His hand moves up to rest on Cronus's chest while the other finds its way to the back of the other man's neck.

While their kiss at the top of the ferris wheel had seemed almost dreamlike, this one seems far more real, as if the realization that they were actually kissing each other like this had finally set in. It leaves them both breathless, and they take a moment apart to catch their breath.

Cronus grins as he leans in again to press his open mouth against his boyfriend's, moving his lips eagerly against Kankri's.

The shorter teen is caught off guard by the new apparent desire that guides the kiss. He tightens his hand in Cronus's shirt, wanting to keep the other man close to himself. He does not hesitate to open his mouth to the other man, driven by the need to be closer and more intimate with the other.

Cronus hesitantly lets his tongue trace against the other's lips gently before pressing it into his mouth to trace along Kankri's own. His hands roam over his boyfriend's shoulders and down his back before pushing their way underneath Kankri's sweater in search for warmth.

Kankri's eyes open in panic. It was not as if he thought that Cronus was going to take this much further, but the moment that he feels the other man's hands touch his skin he panics. "Cronus," Kankri whispers warningly as he pulls away breathlessly. Both of his hands shoot down to grab onto the taller man's wrists.

"Sorry, sorry," Cronus mumbles ashamedly, pecking Kankri's lips lightly before pulling away a bit. He furrows his eyebrows as his fingertips slide back out into the cold air. "Sorry."

"It's okay," the brown eyed teen says as he leans up to kiss Cronus's cheek. "Really, it's alright," he says quietly, staring up at his boyfriend with a soft smile. He holds both of Cronus's hands in his own and gazes up at him before leaning in to kiss him slowly once more.

When they pull away this time it is with two soft and content smiles on both of their faces. "I love you," Cronus says quietly with a grin.

"I love you too," Kankri replies, "We should probably get going soon. We must meet Karkat and Eridan in ten minutes or so." As he says this, he releases his boyfriend's hand in favor of reaching in his pocket for his phone to check the time.

"Yeah, alright babe. Mind if I take a smoke break real quick?" he ask with a brief kiss to Kankri's cheek.

"Of course not, Cronus," the shorter man says begrudgingly. He was not mad at his boyfriend for needing to take a cigarette break. He understood that smoking was an addictive, albeit terrible habit, but nevertheless it still managed to bother him.

Moments later, Kankri is leaning against the game stall and watching his boyfriend stand a good distance away as he smokes his cigarette. He cannot help but smile as he reflects on how courteous of Cronus it is to walk away while he smokes. Of course Kankri loves being near his boyfriend, but not when he is exhaling such disgusting fumes.

"Cronus?" Kankri asks, loud enough for the other man to hear from where he stands a bit away. "Have you not had a cigarette break today?" The thought had not occurred to him until just now. He has spent most of the day with Cronus and has not noticed the other taking a break to smoke, which is unusual considering he use to smoke at least half a pack of cigarettes a day.

Cronus takes one last long drag from his cigarette before letting it fall to the ground and grinding it into the dirt with his foot, a habit that frustrates his boyfriend to no end but seeing as how there are no ashtrays around, he could not complain. "I had one when I woke up this morning," he explains as he walks back over to the other, "and then one now. I'm just uh- tryin' to cut back ya know? Since it bothers you and all. I'm down to two a day now. So I figured by Christmas I'd pretty much be over it, yeah?" He looks away sheepishly, as if it embarrasses him to talk about his addiction.

"Cronus," the red headed teen says quietly, surprised that he has not noticed this before. "You're doing this for me?" he asks hesitantly, staring up at the other man as he walks closer.

"For you, yeah," he says with a beautiful smile before continuing, "But for me too. I mean, all that stuff you've been saying about how bad it is for you and all, plus I'm selfish and want to be around you more," he says this with a wink before leaning in to press a kiss to Kankri's cheek.

The smaller teen blushes heavily, a smile plastered on his red and freckled face. "Cronus, that is incredibly sweet of you." He wishes he could say more, but is at a loss for words, overcome with happiness at how lucky he is to be dating such an amazing person.

"Come on, babe," Cronus grins as he reaches down for his boyfriend's hand, "Let's go meet up with the others and watch the fireworks."

* * *

_**Sorry for the delay in updates. I've been really busy lately and kind of fell off of writing for a while. Hopefully I'll get over it soon. Thanks for sticking with me and please leave a review.**_


	34. Chapter 34

Porrim had saved them a space in the field as she had promised. They set out a large picnic blanket that they had brought from Cronus's truck, and on it they all sat together as they waited for the fireworks.

Eridan and Karkat sit toward the forward edge of the blanket, talking about some new movie that would be coming out soon. Karkat holds his crab plushie tightly in his lap as the two happily pull pieces from the bag of cotton candy that Cronus had bought for them.

Porrim and Latula sit close together, not far away. They are accompanied now by a few of other teens that Kankri did not know well enough to call his friends.

Kurloz Makara, a rather intimidating, quiet, and lanky man with more piercings than Kankri could count, had graduated last year but still spends time with some of the other teenagers. His brother had been friends with Karkat for a while. Next to him, practically huddled against his side, is his girlfriend, Meulin Leijon. Meulin is a very pretty girl, with gorgeous long hair and big doe eyes. Kankri had several classes with her throughout his high school career and has noticed that she has a tendency to get overly excited about small things. The third teenager is one that Kankri has not seen before. He is a rather loud boy, with messy blond hair, mismatching shoes, and red and blue braces.

Kankri frowns over at the group of other teens, too conscious of their occasional glances to relax underneath his boyfriend's arm.

"Babe?" Cronus asks quietly, lips brushing against the temple of Kankri's head, "You okay?"

"I'm fine, Cronus," the freckled teen responds hesitantly, staring down at the blue and green plaid fabric of the picnic blanket. After a pause, he lowers his voice more to continue talking. "I just was not made aware that other people would be joining us here. Of course, I knew that Porrim and Latula would be here but- well I do not know how these other people would respond to-... well-..."

"Us being disgutin' faggots that don't know how ta stay outta' public?" Cronus asks with a grin, quoting the man who had verbally attacked them earlier that evening.

"Cronus!" Kankri hisses quietly, shoving at his boyfriend's chest lightly in protest.

"What?!" The blue eyed teen asks through his laughter, "I'm just messin' with you." He grins happily and moves his arm to wrap around Kankri's waist and pull the smaller teen closer. "Besides," he continues, "I'm sure they don't care. I mean, they are hangin' out with Maryam and she's not exactly the straightest line on the grid if you know what I'm sayin'."

"I know what you're saying, Cronus," Kankri says quietly, smiling softly over at his friend who is laughing happily with the other teenagers. He catches her eyes briefly and she gives him a knowing smile before turning away once again to give the other two some privacy.

When the fireworks start, it looks like something out of a movie. Brilliant colors of all hues crash loudly above, lighting up the sky and causing the shadows of the people below to dance in the changing light.

At some point, Cronus finds himself staring at the man next to him, watching the lights flicker across his face. When the other man's eyes catch his own, he cannot help but grin and lean in to kiss the other man slowly. He moves his lips against the other man's, smiling into the kiss as Cronus squeezes his hips and leans over him to deepes the kiss.

"Wooo! Get some!" a familiar voice cheers out, followed by a string of laughter from the other group of teens and a quiet, "Gross," from Cronus's little brother.

Cronus and Kankri pull away in embarrassment, laughing nervously together as they try to avoid looking at any of the other teenagers. Cronus begrudgingly high fives the hyper blonde who had been cheering them on as Kankri receives a polite smile from Porrim.

It was not much longer until the firework show had ended and all of the teens began saying their goodbyes. Cronus offers to carry Karkat, who had fallen asleep during the fireworks, back to the car. Eridan follows quickly behind him, carrying the bag with the picnic blanket in it while Kankri lingers behind to talk to Porrim for a bit longer.

"Latula says she's getting a ride home with one of the guys since he lives in the same direction," Porrim says as she watches the other girl walk away with the blonde teen, who Kankri had earlier learned is named Mituna.

"How did your date go?" Kankri asks with a caring smile, glad that his friend had apparently met someone new.

"It," the dark skinned girl replies, seeming to choose her words carefully, "It went well. I think we're taking things slow."

"That sounds nice," Kankri says quietly, knowing that a slow relationship is not what his best friend is use to, "I am glad things are working out for you, Porrim."

"They are," she says, seemingly more to herself than to Kankri, "I'm happy with her." After a moment the two begin walking in the direction of the parking lot. "And I'm happy for you and Cronus. I know I was a little harsh on him to start off with," she explains, "But you two seem really happy together. I mean, I don't think I've ever seen you smile this much."

Kankri laughs slightly, blushing as he looks away from his friend. He knows what she means. Often times it is difficult for him to focus on the good things that are happening in his life, but lately with Cronus, all he can think about is how lucky he is to have what he does.

When they approach the parking lot, they hug briefly and promise each other to text later that evening. Finally, with a routine "drive safe," from Kankri and a kiss on his cheek from Porrim, they turn and go their separate ways.

"Kankri?" Cronus calls out quietly down the hallway of the Vantas house.

Once the four had returned to Kankri's house after the fair, Cronus carried Karkat inside to put him to bed. Kankri had explained Karkat's insomnia to Cronus previously, which prompted the older teen to suggest not waking him up so that the young child would not have to struggle with getting back to sleep.

Eridan went to sleep soon after his friend, curled up on the small mattress of the guest bedroom since Cronus had volunteered to take the couch in the living room that night.

This left Cronus and Kankri some time alone, which they eagerly used to cuddle close together and watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Cronus had wanted to watch The Goblet of Fire, but since it was Kankri's turn to pick a movie, he did not get his way.

Toward the end of the movie however, Kankri had excused himself from the room without explanation. He had let Cronus know that he could keep the movie playing and that he would be back soon.

But now, with ten minutes having gone by and the credits rolling, Cronus could not help but grow worried for his boyfriend. So, he stood up and made his way to the hall leading to the bedrooms and the bathroom, calling down it quietly in fear of waking up either of the younger children.

"Kan?" he whispers out again, this time walking down the hall quietly, listening for any trace of sound from his boyfriend. When he approaches the bathroom door, he is a bit surprised to find that there is no light coming from the crack of the door. He pushes the door slowly, listening to is creak in protest as it opens to reveal an empty room.

He then turns to walk down the hall a bit further, footsteps muffled and quiet against the carpet beneath his feet. He stops in front of his boyfriend's bedroom, not even thinking to knock before reaching out for the doorknob and opening the door.

He hears Kankri gasp loudly in surprise, and watches as the redhead whirls around to face him in a panic.

Cronus's eyes squint slightly as the light from the bedroom hits his eyes. His gaze lands upon the other teen, immediately causing his jaw to drop and his stomach to churn.

"Kankri, what the hell happened?!"

* * *

_**Sorry for the cliff hanger. Updates should return to normal now that I'm out of school.**_

_**Thanks for reading and please leave a review!**_


	35. Chapter 35

"Cronus!" Kankri says in shock, grabbing the sheet off of his bed and quickly trying to cover up his naked chest. He looks over at his boyfriend with wide eyes that are brimming with tears.

"Kan?" Cronus asks in a panic, stepping into the room and approaching his boyfriend in worry.

"Go away!" The redhead yells shakily at his boyfriend, voice high due to attempting to hold back from crying. He clings tightly to the blanket in his arms, desperately trying to untangle it enough to hide the scars on his chest and arms from the gaze of the other man.

"No, Kan- Babe talk to me! Wvhat happened?!" Cronus steps closer to his boyfriend, staring at the parts of Kankri's arms that the other could not cover. Patches of his skin are raised and discolored, pale white and rough in uneven streaks across his arms moving up to his neck.

"Cronus," Kankri cries pathetically as he kneels to the ground, wrapping the blanket around himself in an attempt to hide the scars, "Don't- Cronus, please, you weren't suppose to-" Kankri chokes on his words, trying to avoid the eyes of his boyfriend.

Not listening to the other man, Cronus kneels in front of him. Unsure of what else to do, he pulls the smaller man into his lap and wraps his arms around him to hug him protectively. "Kan, angel face come on, please don't shut me out right nowv," he rushes out worriedly, shaking a bit as he holds the other teen in his arms, "I've got you."

"Cronus," The red head sobs, holding the blanket around himself tightly as he buries his face in his boyfriend's shoulder, "You weren't suppose to see. N-No one was suppose to see." The only people that have seen Kankri's burns are his younger brother and Porrim. Though he knew that Cronus would likely see them one day, he had hoped it would not be in such a sudden circumstance.

The older teen holds Kankri gently, giving the other a few minutes to calm down before asking, "What happened Kan?" His hand cards gently through the bright red of the other teen's hair, feeling the soft strands between his fingers.

The smaller teen takes a few deep breaths, making sure that he is prepared to speak before opening his mouth. "The car crash- When-," he takes another deep breath, finally wrapping one arm around Cronus to hug him back while using the other to hold his blanket around himself. "When I was little," he starts again, "My parents-"

"Eridan told me," Cronus says quietly, not wanting his boyfriend to have to talk about his parents dying if it would make him more upset.

Kankri sighs quietly, pressing a shaky kiss to Cronus's cheek lightly as he curls up against him more. "There- There was so much fire. I- I was going to tell you. I promise I was going to tell you I just- I didn't want you to see, Cronus. I was afraid."

"Afraid of what?" Cronus asks with a frown.

The brown eyed teen stays quiet for a moment before shrugging his shoulders slightly. Upon realizing that this is may not be an adequate answer, he sighs. "That you wouldn't like me anymore."

"Kankri, sweetheart, why wouldn't I like ya anymore?"

"Because," he shakes slightly, turning his head away a bit, "They're ugly. I'm ugly-"

"Stop that," Cronus says firmly with furrowed eyebrows, moving a hand to guide Kankri's face to look at him. "You aren't ugly, so don't say anything like that. You're gorgeous Kankri. How could you think that I wouldn't like you over this?" When his boyfriend does not respond, Cronus sighs and presses a soft kiss to the other man's lips. "Kankri," he says quietly, pressing his forehead to the other's and staring into his eyes, "I said I love you didn't I?"

The red headed teen stares at his boyfriend blankly for a moment, then wraps both of his arms around his neck to hug him closer. "Thank you, Cronus," he whispers quietly, "I love you too."

The two hold onto each other comfortably for a few minutes as they both calm down from their panic.

"Can I see?" Cronus says quietly, hesitating when he feels the other man tense up in his arms. "I don't have to," he continues, "I just-"

Kankri cuts Cronus off with a quick kiss to his lips. "Cronus, it's fine," he tells the other hesitantly, pushing away any doubt that he may feel. He wants to be able to trust Cronus with this, despite how difficult it is for him.

He takes a slow breath as he slides backwards out of Cronus's lap. He will not meet his boyfriend's eyes, staring at the wall across the room as he slowly lets the blanket fall from his shoulders.

Kankri's chest is fairly free of scars. There are a few patches across his shoulders and arms, but as the teen turns around, the other man sees where most of the scars are.

Cronus had seen these scars when he had opened the door earlier but now, up-close, he is able to get a better look at the white discolorations that scatter Kankri's back. The scars are spread over the majority of back, stretching over his skin in rough, light marks and trailing down his upper arms.

"I got lucky," Kankri says quietly, head tilted downward to face the carpeted floor. "If the flames had been any higher... Or if I had been in it longer, it could have been much worse." He tenses up as he feels Cronus touch his back. "Karkat was even luckier. I managed to keep him shielded from the flames while we got out."

Cronus's fingertips trace gently at the scarred flesh, feeling the uneven flesh against his own skin. He lets out a quiet sigh, leaning down to press his lips to one of the scars on the back of his boyfriend's shoulder. He pauses for a moment, listening for any form of protest from the hearing none, he presses a few more soft kisses along the scarred skin. "I love you," he says quietly, moving to press a kiss to Kankri's neck for a moment before pulling him closer and into his lap again.

"I love you too, Cronus," Kankri says quietly as he presses a kiss to his boyfriend's face. He remains silent for a very long time, simply finding comfort in the embrace of the larger man. "Cronus?" he murmurs against the other's shoulder, "Don't sleep on the couch."

"What?" Cronus asks in confusion, pulling away to look down at his boyfriend.

"Sleep in my bed with me tonight?" The freckled teen asks quietly, "I don't want to be alone right now."

Cronus nods and holds the other man close for a few more minutes before carefully lifting him up to carry him to his bed and laying him down gently.

"Wait- I have to put a shirt on-" Kankri begins with a stutter, only to be cut off by the other.

"Kan, it's fine. You don't have to cover up," he says with a frown. He then smiles softly, pulling off his own shirt and lying next to the other man. "This okay?" he asks as he moves one arm to wrap around the other man.

"Um, yes," Kankri says quietly. His face is red from watching Cronus remove his shirt and having him so close; regardless, he scoots closer to relax into the other man's arms before closing his eyes, ready to sleep.

Conus's arms wrap tighter around his boyfriend, holding him close. "Hey, Kan?"

"Hm?"

"Are you doing anything for Christmas?"

Kankri tilts his head back to look up at his boyfriend, confused at the seemingly random question. "No," he replies after thinking it over, "Kevin cannot make it home for the holidays, and Porrim's family is going out of town. What are you doing?" Kankri had thought that the two Ampora boys were planning on staying in their apartment for the break.

"Well, ya see," he begins, "We're goin' ta go spend about a week with our parents. Eridan's been beggin' mom to let you and Kar come along. She said it was fine, and my dad's not fightin' her on it."

A look of surprise passes over the smaller teens face. "We would not be intruding?"

"Of course not, angelface," Cronus says with a soft smile, "Besides, I need someone to keep me from goin' insane from being in the house with my parents that week."

"I'll ask my father," Kankri says, "I don't see why he would say no."

"Awesome," Cronus smiles, pressing yet another kiss to his boyfriend's lips, "I'll let my parents know."

* * *

WOW 35 chapters! Thank you so much for sticking with me for this long and for being so supportive of this story.

We're finally going to go see Cro's parents!

Please leave me a comment and let me know what you want to see in future chapters. (also share some CronKri headcanons with me? cuz ho boy do I love CronKri)


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